Monday, July 24, 2006

Alan Stivell: electronic backbeats and rolling, directionless melodies...

Veteran Breton harpist Alan Stivell can't seem to decide if he wants to dabble in hip-hop or waft away in the New Age aether on Explore. Melody lines are sketchily defined, then abandoned altogether. The innovative harping for which he's known is almost an afterthought here, as all is abandoned in service to the groove. He does do a bit of aimless solo harp wandering on the title track, but it's nothing for the memory books. While there's a lot of colorful experimenting with timbres and textures, the songs are not strong enough to stand up to the tonal onslaught...

Read the complete review in RootsWorld

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