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Review: 'SULTANS OF SWING WITH ANWAR KHURSHID'
'Subcontinental Drift'   

-  Label: 'Self Released'
-  Genre: 'Pop' -  Release Date: '29th April 2016'

Our Rating:
This Canadian string-driven thing weave what they optimistically call a "global sonic tapestry" that takes us on a whistle-stop tour of traditional dance orientated genres including Spanish Flamenco, Gypsy jazz, Arabic folk, Irish jigs and Cuban rumba.

Its all very laudable to talk about breaking down the barriers between people and cultures but musical fusion only works if the styles are compatible and the overwhelming evidence here is that these are not.

Band leaders Chris McKhool (violin, viola,chin-cello) and Kevin Laliberte (nylon and steel string guitars) are joined by Anwar Khurshid who plays sitar and sings to make an Indian/Pakistani flavour the most dominant.

The grooves are described as "unstoppable" but someone should have applied the brakes long before inflicting them on the general public.

The low point is a dire version of Blowing In The Wind that unforgivably turns Dylan's classic protest song into a faux-Bollywood show tune.

Frankly, this is the kind of album that gives world music a bad name, full of showy musicianship that tramples over traditional tunes like a corporate funded gentrification of an historic town designed to make it more accessible and 'full of character' for the tourists.

Sultans Of String's website
  author: Martin Raybould

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SULTANS OF SWING WITH ANWAR KHURSHID - Subcontinental Drift