Music News 02/02/12

Lila Downs, Pecados y Milagros (Sony Latin/RED, $14.98) –Lila Downs has often brought modern touches to traditional Mexican forms in her original songs, and Pecados y Milagros (Sins and Miracles) is one of her most ambitious projects. Her tunes now have a visual component—Ms Downs commissioned contemporary artists to paint retablos (narrative votive paintings) for her songs, which are reproduced in the beautiful booklet packaged with the CD. Listen and enjoy.

Gregory Porter, Be Good (Motema, $15.98) – New and up-and-coming male jazz singers are quite rare on the scene, and singers who also write are even rarer. Gregory Porter’s voice is deep and versatile, in the Joe Williams range, and his songs are full of soul. Mr. Porter’s follow-up to his 2010 CD, Water, includes mostly originals, and three covers: Nat Adderley’s “Work Song,” “Imitations of Life” from the 1959 film, and, closing the CD, an acapella version of “God Bless the Child.”

Note: Gregory Porter will sing at the Kennedy Center this Saturday, February 4.

Richard Galliano, Nino Rota (Deutsche Grammophon, $18.98) – French accordion master Richard Galliano brought together jazz greats Dave Douglas on trumpet, John Surman on reeds, Boris Kozlov on bass and Clarence Penn on drums to play Nino Rota’s evocative tunes that he wrote for the movies. The tunes include themes from The Godfather, as well as from the Fellini favorites Nights of Cabiria, La Strada, Amarcord and Juliet of the Spirits.

The Descendants: Original Soundtrack (Sony, $11.98) – Alexander Payne’s movie starring George Clooney has garnered many accolades—for its screenplay, its acting ensemble, and also for its fine use of Hawaiian music on the soundtrack. There are wonderful examples of slack-key guitar masters and singers such as Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, and Sonny Chillingworth on the CD. This soundtrack is a great introduction to Hawaiian music.

Click here for more news and reviews. Please call us at 202-364-1919 or email me at agoldinger@politics-prose.com to order these CDs.

• András Goldinger