Thursday, August 20, 2015

CD Review: Randy Armstrong & Volker Nahrmann's 'Beyond Borders'

Randy Armstrong & Volker Nahrmann
Beyond Borders
UMP Records

Beyond Borders is beyond the ordinary when it comes to the musical explorations of Randy Armstrong and Volker Nahrmann. Upon listening to the first track, "Ciao Bella," one can easily discover the nod to groovy, South American and Brazilian brilliance with sweeping vocals, breezy percussion, and smooth rhythms punctuated with bass, guitars, and other instruments. The percussive sounds heat up on "Fear Not Fear" in a sort of instrumental jazz vein. "Shanti Om" is dedicated to Ravi Shankar and George Harrison, so you know it is going to be a good one. In fact, it contains trance-inducing sitar amidst a plethora of instrumentation that flows from one chord to another, while truly exemplifying the genre of world music. Eleven tracks are included for your listening pleasure. Travel the world through the sounds on Beyond Borders. ~ Matthew Forss

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