Music, Product, & Site Reviews

Here you will find my thoughts on some of my favorite, and maybe not-so-favorite, pieces of music. When possible, I have provided links to Amazon to purchase the disks if you would like to.

Additionally, I will be posting reviews on different products including instruments and instrument vendors, learning materials, and drumming and dancing accessories.

If you would like to send a review of a c.d., book or website for us to consider posting on our main site, please send an e-mail with your review and any links and relevant information. E-mail us at: reviews at drumlist dot org.

C.D. Reviews

Ruben Blades - Mundo
New, fresh, creative, innovative and, most importantly, musical through and through. Mr. Blades combines Afro-Cuban sounds with Irish, Scottish, Spanish, and Middle-Eastern, and does so in a very organic way. The different styles are identifiable without being out of place. He did not, simply, "schmoosh" these musical styles together, he seems to have identified the components of each musical culture that would be best complimented by his musical background and thoughtfully composed and arranged them together.

I am absolutely in love with this album.
Track 5, a version of that old Irish favorite, "Danny Boy", is fantastic.
Reviewed by: Christopher Austin

Jonas Hellborg - Good People in Times of Evil
Echoes of Shakti ripple through this album. Bass guitar, 6 string guitar and Indian percussion is the line up. Most of the music is very "Linear" in that there is not a lot of polyrhythmic stacking of parts as one finds in Afro-Cuban music. Instead, Jonas takes a more Indian approach to the music using lots of long, tight synchronized phrases that push you a little off balance, make you smile and drop you back at the "one".

Certaily worth a serious listen.
Reviewed by: Christopher Austin