Traditional/World

Radio Tarifa: "Temporal" (World Circuit)

The music of Radio Tarifa is the sound of hidden Spain. This is their second collection, the first being the excellent Rumba Argelina, also available on World Circuit. By times moody, extravagant, considered and fiery, the music delves deep into Spanish traditions, adapting Flamenco and the musics of Andalucia, Castilla, Galicia and Sanabria into a rich and compelling mixture. I'm indebted to the World Circuit website (www.worldcircuit.co.uk) for this description: "The haunting title track Temporal is a Flamenco Rhumba, representing a mixture of African rhythms, Spanish harmonies and extracts of flamenco, featuring Benjamn Escoriza's grasping, sweet vocals and Javier Paxario's bansuri flute." Bet you never read that in a holiday brochure!

By Joe Breen

Muzsikas and Marta Sebestyen: "Morning Star" (Hannibal)

And so to Eastern Europe. Marta Sebestyen is the name behind the haunting voice of The English Patient. She is also one of Hungary's leading folk singers, and Muzsikas is the ensemble with whom she is most associated. Sebestyen and her band concentrate on the local sounds of Transylvania: hardly the hippest of places but one not without a certain notoriety. I suppose it would be easy to say that some of this music is blood-curling, but that would be a cheap jibe at the expense of what is an interesting and challenging collection. Unfortunately, the biggest challenge is to like it. I failed miserably. There is not a lot of joy evident; though that might just be my subliminal feeling about Transylvania breaking out. I know, I know, it's a really beautiful place, but . . .

By Joe Breen

Seconds Flat: "Seconds Flat" (Green Linnet)

This is the kind of country album which creeps up on you. Soft, verging on the innocuous at the outset, the album gradually reveals Seconds Flat to be a band worth keeping an eye on in the future. The songs are all originals, either the work of the sweet-voiced Anthony Tomlinson or the huskier Larry Hoskinson. The themes are not exactly radical - either grizzled homages to country's beer-sozzled, heartbroken imagery (Me And My Friend Heartbreak) or rich, harmony-laden love songs (Murphy's Law) - but Seconds Flat mostly carry their material with conviction and care. The playing is full of interest, a bittersweet dobro here, a cutting guitar break there. Producer Brian Ahern keeps it simple and low-key. They are still learning, as the awkward Three O'Clock shows, but they have the right ideas - and clearly the right influences in people like Gram Parsons, George Jones and Steve Earle.

By Joe Breen