Leoard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate (1971)

From allmusic (4.5/5):

"Songs of Love and Hate is one of Leonard Cohen's most emotionally intense albums — which, given the nature of Cohen's body of work, is no small statement. While the title Songs of Love and Hate sums up the album's themes accurately enough, it's hardly as simple as that description might lead you to expect — in these eight songs, "love" encompasses the physical ("Last Year's Man"), the emotional ("Famous Blue Raincoat"), and the spiritual ("Joan of Arc"), and the contempt in songs like "Dress Rehearsal Rag" and "Avalanche" is the sort of venom that can only come from someone who once cared very deeply. The sound of the album is clean and uncluttered, and for the most part the music stays out of the way of the lyrics, which dominate the songs. Thankfully, Cohen had grown noticeably as a singer since his first two albums, and if he hardly boasts a range to rival Roy Orbison here, he is able to bring out the subtleties of "Joan of Arc" and "Famous Blue Raincoat" in a way his previous work would not have led you to expect. And while Bob Johnston's production is spare, it's spare with a purpose, letting Cohen's voice and guitar tell their stories and using other musicians for intelligent, emotionally resonant punctuation (Paul Buckmaster's unobtrusive string arrangements and the use of a children's chorus are especially inspired). And Songs of Love and Hate captured Cohen in one of his finest hours as a songwriter, and the best selections (especially "Famous Blue Raincoat," "Joan of Arc," and "Love Calls You by Your Name") rank with the most satisfying work of his career. If Songs of Love and Hate isn't Cohen's best album, it comes close enough to be essential to anyone interested in his work."

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Selda - Türkülerimiz 1 (1995)

I'm sure you're familiar with Selda; you've probably heard Oh No sampling "Ince Ince" on those Skate 2 commercials, or, more recently, Mos Def rapping over this same beat on his latest album The Ecstatic (first track). I may get around to posting Selda later, but for now Türkülerimiz 1 will do.


"What a voice this girl has! Very well played fusion/mix of turk-arabic roots and folk-european pop...
I have no idea if this is mainstream or not, but it sure is news and fresh to me, and with lovely strange words like; Bülbül :)" - Lilleboll (4/5)

"I usually compare Selda Bağcan to Violeta Parra and sometimes Mercedes Sosa because they arranged folk songs with modern style.This is the characteristics of the genre of their music. Nuevo Cansion and Anadolu Pop (or Rock) did the same thing (I guess Anadolu Pop were a bit late as 5-10 years late This is maybe they (Turkish counterparts) followed this kinda intenational cultural movements or just it was re-produced in the conditions of that era .I don't have the album right beside me so i can't write which songs belongs originally to whom, but Bağcan mostly covered folk artist Neşet Ertaş and Mahsuni Şerif.Some songs are anonymous such as "Kalenin Dibinde Taş Ben Olaydım" and "Gesi Bağları".There are some that written and/or composed by Selda Bağcan such as "Çemberimde gül oya".But i should note that the songs which covered are played with the guitar(and/or other pop/rock instruments) which is not local musical instruments and therefore hadn't been used in the original versions.Thus one can never ignore The Selda factor which made the songs into a brand new form and made the songs known by broader audience particullarly the youth which is familiar with the westerner popular pop/rock music." - Moremun (4/5)

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Chris Harwood - Nice to Meet Miss Christine (1970)

From allmusic (3.5/5; don't let the rating dissuade you from this one):

" Nowadays Chris Harwood is being touted as Britain's great lost female folksinger. That's understandable -- her sole record, Nice to Meet Miss Christine, launched the tiny indie Birth label in 1970. The album disappeared soon after, probably because most listeners were unable to get beyond the first track, the exceedingly self-righteous, anti-racist "Mama," whose justified anger doesn't exonerate the song's lack of melody. Or maybe it was due to the fact that Nice wasn't really a folk album at all, as the guest musician roster makes clear. Guitarist Peter Banks was a founding member of Yes, pianist/organist Tommy Eyre would soon be joining Rainbow, brass and woodwind player Ian McDonald hailed from King Crimson, drummer Pete York came from the Spencer Davis Group, and guitarist Mike Maran would eventually become Britain's top musical arranger. Not a folkie in sight, but one hell of a lineup, expanding the sound of what one assumes was Harwood's own group -- guitarist Dave Lambert, bassist Roger Sutton, and drummer J. Kay Boots. Thus the songs sound phenomenal (even if the transfer to CD creates a hollowness at the center), the musicianship is flawless, and the set is as eclectic as one would imagine with these players on board. Jazzy fusion, jammy prog rock, pomp rock, revved-up R&B, and combinations of all of the above swirl across the set. The musicians are so busy showboating that melodies are mostly ignored, most spectacularly on the covers of Dave Mason's "Crying to Be Heard" and Crosby, Stills & Nash's "Wooden Ships," a situation Harwood does little to resolve. She's best showcased on the sultry blues of "Flies Like a Bird," but elsewhere too often slides into waspishness or worse -- harangues. A musical Margaret Thatcher is no good thing, but that's how Harwood comes across, all hectoring tones and wagging finger, even on the love songs. It's no surprise, then, that the iron chanteuse never made another record, but if you can ignore her, the backing is sensational."

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