ILLIE AND LOBO siete arada-EMI

henever any world music albums ome into the office, I snap them p before anybody else can get to hem. Of course, nobody besides e ever wants them. This particu- ar album features the Latin and ypsy instrumentals by two very appy people named Willie and obo. The music is quite beautiful nnd is played with great skill. As rasily as it can be dismissed for not hein conventional pop music, Siete an be praised for its energy and its spirit.

-JIC

STEVE EARLE Transcendental Blues pic

or rugged country music, there re only a few artists that can emain true to the genre’s roots while breaking ground with new ounds. Steve Earle’s latest album ontains hard-driving, blues rock- rs, hillbilly-footstompers, and a ollicking, celtic song that has as uch bullocks as the Pogues circa hte eighties. The hardcore ubadour is in top form on ranscendental Blues.

-SML

TELEK

Serious Tam Narada-EMI

Here is yet another entry into the world music category. The music on Serious Tam comes from Papua New Guinea. Telek combines the sounds (musical and natural) of his native land with certain pop sensi- bilities to create a completely new musical experience. The lyrics, sung in several Papua New Guinean languages, are simple but flow easily. This is defi- nitely some- thing worth listening to.

styles, most of which are designed to make you shake your booty. This isn’t great music, but some of the songs might just put you in the mood to shake your booty.

-JIC

BLACK 47

Trouble In The Land Shanachie

Despite having vocals that would make Bob Dylan wince, Black 47 yy at times is an enjoyable ib and

Somehow, f and God only knows how

-JIC they do it,

= 4 they mix

Ly 2cOennS |punk, Celtic

AMIGOS folk music,

INVISIBLES and ‘ occa-

Ao oe Luaka Bop ae

an unmis-

The album takeably

cover proclaims Arepa 3000 as “A Venezuelan Journey into Space,” but I can’t quite understand why. The first track sounds like a Burt Bacharach song, and if you ask me, Burt Bacharach really isn’t the ideal model for space music. Nothing on the album is very spacey, unless you count the part where it sounds like Jabba the Hut is doing a guest vocal. There is quite a diverse range of musical

Black 47 sound. This fusion is best evidenced in songs such as “Those Saints,” “I Got Laid On James Joyce’s Grave,” and “Bodhrans On The Brain.” The big problem with this New York band is that at times they get too caught up in being political...and the otherwse fine “Bobby Kennedy” is historically puzzling. (Jeez, which Kennedy are they singing about? I can’t tell.) If having a former member of

Dexy’s Midnight Runners in the group will impress you, well, they do.

-ROC

CHRISTINA AGUILERA Mi Reflejo BMG

Finally, in the world music scene, we have young Christina Aguilera. This newcomer is bound to be a major success as she rides on the coat-tails of other great Latin musi- cians such as Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and _ Enrique Iglesias. Aguilera’s music tran- scends the conventional concept of Latin music and crosses over into the teen pop style of music that is all the rage these days. “Genio Atrapado” is the best song on the album, although it does sound sus- piciously like a song that was get- ting heavy airplay around this time last year. Keep an eye out for her in the coming months.

-JIC