LUCIOLE

LUCIOLE
OMBRES (2009)
320 KBPS

Luciole's debut mixes spoken words, chanson, pop, folk and a little jazz to an harmonious an intriguing result. It sure is not perfect yet but the lady's got a voice, compositional abilities and ideas that certainly will lead her to a bright future. Not unlike Camille or Emilie Simon, she's a true artist and not just one of those pop singers with a musical crew surrounding and providing her with songs. Trust me, she can do it herself and she does it good. Be curious, try Luciole's Ombres, you might very well be up for a nice surprise.

1. Une Rencontre
2. Grain De Sable
3. Ombre
4. J'T'Oublierai
5. Encore Et Encore
6. Viens Sourire Sur Ma Bouche
7. Le Coeur En Miettes
8. Perpendiculaire
9. Ma Vie Sans Moi
10. Je Suis
11. Est-Ce Que J'Ai Rêvé ?
12. De Temps En Temps

JAYNE CORTEZ & THE FIRESPITTERS

JAYNE CORTEZ & THE FIRESPITTERS
TAKING THE BLUES BACK HOME (1996)
320 KBPS

NOW THIS IS AN ALBUM YOU CAN'T MISS. I, for one, just fell in love with this record.

This is an album i discovered through Spotify (which is nice), when following recommendations for artists similar to Gil Scott-Heron. The link here is that both could be categorized in the Black poetry/spoken word genre. This album is quite different from anything by Scott-Heron, though.
So what does it sound like? Well, a blend of jazz and blues and some African influences (Cortez lives in NYC and Dakar). It's quite hard to describe. Here is what it's not: boring “poetry” on down-tempo jazzy background music. Here is what it is instead: powerful texts with a sense of humor, clear voice, fast-paced music that either supports or challenges Cortez's voice.
(Disclaimer: i suck at music genres.)

About Jayne Cortez: “A visionary and socially conscious poetess with feminist leanings, Cortez is as wise a person as is out there. She was married to Ornette Coleman.” says All Music Guide. More on Wikipedia.

1. Taking The Blues Back Home
2. Bumblebee, You Saw Big Mama
3. Mojo 96
4. Cultural Operations
5. The Guitars I Used To Know
6. Talk To Me (For Don Cherry)
7. I Have Been Searching
8. Global Inequalities
9. Blues Bop For Diz
10. You Can Be
11. Endangered Species List Blues
12. Nobody Knows A Thing

Highlights: nearly everything, including Taking The Blues Back Home, Mojo 96, Blues Bop For Diz.
Request: i'd kill for more Jayne Cortez goodness.