a Few Less Men

The Cabo Verdean popular music genre of funaná is one that, up until a few years ago, had little representation in the wider global marketplace, and it’s easy to understand why. Outlawed by the Portuguese colonial government in the 1950s as too proud an expression of identity, it emerged into the local mainstream only in the 1990s, where it served as a sonic symbol of political activism during Cabo Verde’s shift to a multi-party government. In more recent years, popular sounds of the island nation have featured in several new releases – Analog Africa’s Space Echo and Legend of Funaná, Ostinato’s Synthesize the Soul – with funaná occasionally the focus.

DISCO SESSIONS features 2 CD’s of classics from the genre. Unlike the majority of Disco compilations it also features a number of lesser known classics from the same period which helped shape the sound of the scene, together with early 80’s club floorfillers that continued to fly the flag long after Disco had become a by-word for naff stateside. The overall result is two very danceable CD’s that should help soundtrack any party you care to throw.

This DVD features a tribute concert for the legendary Buddy Holly. Recorded in Austin in 1987, it features Brian Setzer, John Fogerty, Carl Perkins, The Crickets and others.
Buddy Holly is perhaps the most anomalous legend of '50s rock & roll he had his share of hits, and he achieved major rock & roll stardom, but his importance transcends any sales figures or even the particulars of any one song (or group of songs) that he wrote or recorded. Holly was unique, his legendary status and his impact on popular music all the more extraordinary for having been achieved in barely 18 months.

The awards season is in full swing as this review is being written, with the Golden Globes having just been handed out and the Academy Awards coming up soon on film lovers' dockets. If Steven Spielberg's Lincoln was a surprise shut out at the Globes, taking home only the expected Best Actor trophy for Daniel Day-Lewis, it's expected to do significantly better at the Oscars, where a perhaps less hip crowd may prove to be a more favorable voting demographic. Lincoln has been one of Spielberg's most acclaimed recent films, but let's face it: the director and screenwriter Tony Kushner had a semi-mythic figure to build their film around to begin with. Few Presidents have had had the lasting impact that Lincoln has, and Honest Abe regularly tops polls of the greatest men to ever have held that office…