The Country, Folk & World Recommendation Thread

[bert1987]

He's a great artist that everyone should give a listen to.

[zachsd]

I saw Tinariwen live for the first time this summer and was blown away. Do any of you have suggestions when it comes to other bands that have a similar style?

Yeah, Tinariwen is an amazing band, I saw them live a while ago when they performed at UCLA with dirt cheap ticket prices.

One musician you might want to check out is Ali Farka Touré. Like Tinariwen, Touré's roots are in Mali's north, which has a very different sound than the south where its much more tropical. The music in Mali's south generally sounds more, uh, "lush" I guess you'd say. If you want to compare the two regions check out Oumou Sangare, a great female singer that comes from the country's southwest.

Anyways, to get back to your question, like Tinariwen, Touré mixes a bluesy sound with traditional Saharan music, which works pretty well as you've probably already figured out listening to Tinariwen. I would suggest his eponymous album, "Ali Farka Touré". Generally it's considered one of his best and is my favorite album of his. I would post a link but I can't so.. sorry. He's worked with some famous western musicians as well. Ry Cooder comes to mind, but I'd avoid his collaboration album with him, titled "Talking Timbuktu", until your more familiar with Touré's solo work.

Another Malian group you might want to check out is Amadou and Mariam. They were popularized by Manu Chao and sort of have a similar vibe to the Spanish musician but are still very good. I would consider them more westernized than Touré, so it might be easier to listen to. I personally find them easier to listen to, but I think the musicianship of Touré exceeds that of Amadou and Mariam. One of my favorite Amadou and Mariam songs is "Je Pense a Toi", which you should be able to find easily on youtube. For an album to start with I'd recommend "Dimanche à Bamako".

This is sort of getting away from Tinariwen, but I would also recommend looking into some Senegalese music. Senegal, Mali's western neighbor, shares a lot of similar sounds that you might like. Youssou N'Dour comes to mind, but he uses more traditional instruments, not so much guitar like you'll hear in Tinariwen. Still very much worth checking out.

[wokattack]

Thanks. Just checked out the names you mentioned, and grooving along to it :-)

[wokattack]

Another question - Does anyone know any bands in the styly of 16 Horsepower and Woven Hand? I'm a big fan.

[Hank The Drifter]

I'm looking for some new bands that heavily use both banjos and fiddles. Lots of really good picking is the thing I'm mainly looking for. I don't know if I should post this here or in the indie section but, yeah.

[zachsd]

I'm looking for a good album of traditional Chinese folk music, preferably just instrumental. The music can date as far back as the Han Dynasty, just want something well done and traditional.

Thanks if anyone recommends anything.

[TheBig3]

It can be self-righteous at times, but **** it, its country music. I dig this one.

[TheBig3]

I guess I'm posting this to myself but here goes



More punk spirit than half the **** that comes out with the genre label. Brad Paisley is the first guy who didn't make me think the whole genre hated Northerners.

[Blarobbarg]

This may be an odd request, but I heard a bizarrely "heavy" country song on the radio a few weeks ago and the concept just won't leave me. Do you guys have any suggestions for country bands that are on the heavier or harder side of things? As in, almost hard rock riffing, maybe combined with more stereotypical country instruments/vocal techniques/etc?

[Neapolitan]

Originally Posted by Blarobbarg

This may be an odd request, but I heard a bizarrely "heavy" country song on the radio a few weeks ago and the concept just won't leave me. Do you guys have any suggestions for country bands that are on the heavier or harder side of things? As in, almost hard rock riffing, maybe combined with more stereotypical country instruments/vocal techniques/etc?

I wonder if you are thinking of Black Berry Smoke?
yeah? / nah?

Originally Posted by TheBig3

Musicbanters One-Way community strikes again...

Well define heavier. There's nothing inherent within the genre thats going to require it to be light. I don't know of any Country that, say, Sabbath Heavy. And what sort of country did you want?

Neither can I, but I know a band that was "Mutt Lange" heavy - The Outlaws.