Au Cabaret Sauvage
Lo'Joare a band with a penchant for the music of wanderers, be they Gypsies, circus performers, or the Tuareg, the nomads that roam the deserts of northern Niger. On their third CD,Au Cabaret Sauvage, Lo'Jo take these peripatetic styles and skillfully blend them with French chanson, West African harmonies, and the occasional electronic rhythm track. Denis Péan, who sings in a dusty, road-weary growl, shares the vocals with Nadia and Yamina Nid El Mourid, a pair of French Algerian sisters who have a way bending notes in harmony that's absolutely thrilling. The instrumentation includes French café favorites, like the accordion and the violin, which is played with a Gypsy's élan by Richard Bourreau; West African instruments, like the kora and balafon; and Indian instruments, like the sarangi and harmonium. From the title track, with its haunting, slightly sinister circus ambience, to the moaning melodies of "Memoire d'Homme," Lo Jo have created a perfect soundtrack for those who wander the world's less-traveled byways.--Michael Simmons