I need to find some 'new to me' music, but it seems without exception, the music which floats my boat, has not been made recently. Starting deep south on the African Continent, Hugh Maseleka's trumpet broke down the Jazz door for me in my mid 20's, some 30 years ago, and its likely Paul Simons's 'Graceland' set the stage, 10+ years before that.
Zambia in the 1970's, produced a lot of gold, like WITCH, Chrisy Zebby Tembo, Amanaz, Blackfoot, The Peace, Salty Dog. Very raw recordings, both detract and add to the sound.
Check out 'lazy bones' from Witch, 'Green Apple' from Amanaz, 'Feeling good' from CZT, 'Poor Connection' from Blackfoot, 'Mama' from Salty dog, and 'Give me Mercy' from The Peace, all available on you tube.
I just about blew a gasket a decade ago when I first heard CZT's 'My ancestors' album, which started my quest for previously unknown (to me) African music.
I saw a vehicle filled with young skaters , absolutely rocking out to it recently, and could only smile.
When I was in Durban in 1999, staying at a backpackers hostel, I busted out a well worn Cassette of Thomas Mapfumo, from Zimbabwe, played 'Moyo Wangu', and the Maid went absolutely nuts dancing singing and cleaning at the same time. There was a double tapedeck, so I bought a blank tape and made her a copy, and she started crying. She came back the next week insisting I visit her village, which turned into one of my best travel memories that never fails to bring me a smile.
Ghanaian Hi life music...so good if you like horns. Check out De frank and his Professionals, Chief Steven Osita Osadebe, Ebo Taylor's 'Atwer Abroba' is simply gold.
If Fela Kuti's 'Power Show' or 'Mister Follow Follow' initial 5 minutes cant get your foot tapping, you are simply dead inside.
Moving NW along Africa's Atlantic coast, SE Rogie makes some excellent palm wine music, and farther North, if you like a Latin Beat, Senegal's, Star Band de Dakar made some absolute Gems in concert with Cubans, that have had people come up to my vehicle when parked overlooking the Pacific, and ask me to turn it up, way up. I think they were trippin' on E, as rarely have I ever seen a group feel the music more, and they weren't even Latino.
Going inland to the Sahara, if you dig some bluesy guitar riffs and the whole world music vibe, check out Tinariwen and Tamikrest.
I try and keep an open mind to newly made music, but so little of it does anything but make me want to skip it/ change the channel/ walk away.
For the most part, regarding the country Genre, I felt the same, but some Original Hank Williams turned my Ear 20 years ago. Blaze Foley, towes van Zandt, and the recently deceased John Prine, all float my boat, but might be considered folk instead of country.
Some of the most 'recently added' music to my Phone, is surprisingly from the 2020 country music awards, at the beginning of the Pandemic. Every other time this came on I tried, but quickly changed the channel, but this time all the artists were Solo, performing live from their man caves via the internet.
Keith Urban's solo acoustic performance of 'wasted time', was the first time I ever heard the song, that I know of, and really liked it. I listened to the studio version, and could not tolerate it, still cant, but that unplugged solo acoustic version still does it for me.
When Luke Combs, a currently performing artist I had never heard of at that point, played 'Crazy Beautiful' shortly after, I had not been watching, only listening, and was like Holy Sxxxx!, that man's got quite the powerful voice. Again, the solo unplugged version remains my favorite though the studio version does not irritate me like Keith's do.
I need to find some more 'new to me' music, but it seems with few exceptions, that what enters my rotation at volume, will have been recorded long ago, and I just was never exposed to it, or not exposed to it when I was receptive to that style of music.
While I say I am open to all types of music, there is a lot of stuff popular now, which I do not even consider music, but those younger than me seem to find something in it that is worthy.
But perhaps they encompass everything wrong with today's youth and why everything can be considered another step towards Hades in a handbasket.
Crotchety old( 50) grouch, out.
