Various Artists
Nigeria 70: Sweet Times: Afro-Funk, Highlife & Juju from 1970s Lagos
(Strut)
With all the excellent Nigerian compilations of recent years, you might assume that musical well has run dry. But Nigeria 70: Sweet Times continues the winning streak with a clutch of 13 high quality, previously unreleased tunes. Packaged with informative liner notes and eye-popping vintage artwork, this latest in the Nigeria 70 series is lighter on funk and omits Afrobeat, emphasizing the loping rhythms of Highlife and Juju. The selections may be mellower but they’re hardly less arresting: Ali Chukwumah’s “Henrietta” is a slinky corker full of criss-crossing polyrhythms; Victor Olaiya’s “Kinringjingbin” offers a slow-burning groove; and Eji Oyewole’s churning “Unity in Africa” features dubbed-out horns and wah-wah guitars. The full 15 minutes of “It’s Time for Juju Music” may be overload for all but true believers, but most of these songs will please newcomers and zealots. —Jeff Jackson
James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg
Avos
(Tompkins Square)
Dubbed “a happy reconciliation of Merrie Old England and the good old USA, in which baroque meets the blues, music-hall steps out to ragtime, and Benjamin Britten sits down with Blind Blake,” this CD of acoustic guitar duets goes a long way towards shortening the distance across the pond. Though neither had performed with the other before recording, each guitarist surprises with his seemingly intuitive feel for his counterpart’s style. Harmonized arpeggios and repeating rhythms are the norm. Occasional contributions from violin and upright bass bring welcome counterpoints to the proceedings, yet never detract from the duo. The second half dips somewhat with traditional-inspired fare like “Scarborough Fore and Aft,” but the too-short title track lays the foundation for future collaborations. —Michael Cimaomo
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Crooked Still
Friends of Fall
(Signature Sounds)
Six months after the release of Some Strange Country, bluegrass aficionados Crooked Still are back with an EP-sized autumnal offering, Friends of Fall. Recorded in Springfield, the seven-song selection is the perfect musical accompaniment to a slowly-sipped hot cider drunk in a rickety rocking chair on an old wooden porch. “Pretty Bird” develops at a meditatively slow pace, with lead singer Aoife O’Donovan’s voice working with Brittany Haas’ fiddle and Tristan Clarridge’s cello to achieve the auditory effect of notes pleasantly dangling in mid air. Elsewhere, a Beatles cover of “We Can Work It Out” is pleasantly upbeat, with the banjo of Gregory Liszt picking along over the double bass of Corey DiMario. Likewise, the album’s final track, a cover of Paul Simon’s “American Tune,” will leave longtime fans and newcomers alike wanting more. —Pete Redington
