It's a bit of a surprise, in Bird on a Wire, to hear Leonard Cohen referring to himself as an old man. This is in a documentary made in 1972, after all, when he was in his thirties and at the height of his fame. But it is clear that at the moment he's exhausted by the demands and difficulties of celebrity and of being on the road. Bird on a Wire captures the highs and lows of a chaotic European tour that also took in Israel in vivid, intimate detail. It was made by renowned music documentarian Tony Palmer but has been unavailable for years; after some kind of theatrical release, the footage went missing and has only recently been rediscovered.

Palmer shows us performances of all kinds: what happens on stage (and sometimes goes disastrously wrong) and what takes place behind the scenes. It's a fascinating portrait of a man who can be both difficult and painstaking, charming and confused, brittle and thoughtful. He's clearly in at least two minds about what he's doing, about the nature of performance and the relationship he has with his audience. There are times he seems wilful and self-sabotaging and others when he's lucid and self-aware.

For one Gothic heartbeat in the 1980s, UK-based German band Propaganda was poised for synth-pop greatness. Described as ‘Abba from hell’ and fronted by Teutonic goddess Claudia Brücken, world domination never quite happened, but its benchmark album A Secret Wish (Salvo) has been given a makeover 25 years on from its original release. The standout remains Duel – still a few flawless minutes of dark beauty. –Jeff Apter

The glorious mohan veena (a kind of Indian slide guitar) playing of Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has been shared with Western musicians of the stature of Ry Cooder (their album, A Meeting by the River, won a Grammy), Taj Mahal, Jerry Douglas and Bela Fleck. Now Bhatt collaborates with former Counting Crows bass player Matt Malley and tabla maestro Subhen Chatterjee to produce an album that, while rooted in traditional Indian music, nods at Celtic American folk culture.

Listen to the sublime opening track, ‘Rainbow in My Heart’, and you will feel as though you have been on a journey that started in a Greek cafe, moved through the Appalachians, headed off to a joyful children's party and returned via Bhatt's home in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The mohan veena is one of those instruments capable of conjuring an almost infinite range of moods. On the 14-minute ‘Languid with Longing’, it almost weeps with melancholy. ‘Sleepless Nights’ opens with a hauntingly sparse bass and dissolves into a dynamic interplay between tablas and the exuberant virtuosity of the mohan veena.

Then there's the seductive lyricism of Bhatt's playing on ‘The Eternal Wait’. This gorgeous synthesis demonstrates his belief that "the seven musical notes carry all the diverse shades of love and this musical album is an endeavour to spread the message of love and harmony all over the world". –Bruce Elder

Weekend Australian, 11-12 September, 2010
4 ½ stars

In 1994 Vishwa Mohan Bhatt won a Grammy for A Meeting by the River, a duet with virtuoso American guitarist and musical explorer Ry Cooder. It was a masterly blend of different styles of slide guitars and still makes exciting listening today. Bhatt is one of several Indian musicians who have adapted the Western acoustic steel-stringed guitar, modifying it to play the subtleties and scales of Indian classical music. Brij Bhushan Kabra was one of the first to do this, adapting a Hawaiian lap steel guitar, inspiring others including Debashish Bhattacharya. Bhatt's instrument, the Mohan Veena, has 19 lead and sympathetic drone strings. Blues wanderer Harry Manx, who studied with him in India, also features it on his own recordings.

On Sleepless Nights, Bhatt plays with ex-Counting Crows bassist Matt Malley, who also plays subtle keyboards, accompanied on tablas by Subhen Chatterjee. Malley studied with Bhatt in India, and his understanding of the music and his contribution make these six compositions an unexpected pleasure. After a hint of happy country Indian blues on the catchy ‘Rainbow in my Heart’, Bhatt sings a vocal introduction over Malley's drone on ‘The Eternal Wait’. Malley's keyboard and bass float on the haunting ‘Languid with Longing’. This unlikely partnership has produced a wonderful disc, mixing Bhatt's virtuosity with Malley's empathy to create an inspiring musical union. –Michael Rofe

Intentional or not, the photo that adorns the back of the CD sleeve, displaying a smiling Victor Deme sitting at his sewing machine in a magnificent multicoloured shirt, symbolises the West African’s rags-to-riches story and his myriad influences. In just a few years Deme has risen from playing Salif Keita and Bob Marley covers in dusty cafes along the byways of Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast to being feted in Paris and London and performing his own compositions at WOMAD, WOMEX and other international festivals. En route, the singer-songwriter has picked up a handful of European sidemen, but wisely he has retained his core band and resisted the temptation to record outside his homeland.

Deme wears his Mandrinka-griot folklore heritage and his penchant for Keita on his sleeve on Deli, his delicate second album, in pieces such as 'Hini Ye Deli Li La' and 'Tan Ni Klllen'. Other tracks sport Latin and flamenco-esque touches. 'Sina' and 'Banaiba' display a rumba lilt. 'Tato Mowla' and 'Ma Belle' show South American and Cuban inflections. The short instrumental interlude 'Mais Ou Sont Les Dollars' betrays Deme’s weakness for Sergio Leone soundtracks. 'Maa Gaafora' and 'Kleba Sekouma' have a bluesy harmonica-accented hue. Femi Kuti’s saxophone emphasizes the Afrobeat pulse of 'Wolo Baya Gulllma'. Elsewhere, accordion, violin and clarinet augment the standout work on acoustic guitar by Deme’s MD, Issou Diabate. –Tony Hillier

With her emotional and lyrical interpretation of verses by the poet Manuel Alcantara, the Spanish flamenco singer Mayte Martin has produced one of the recordings of the year. Born in Barcelona, Martin has established herself in Europe as a passionate singer and musical adventurer. She has accompanied flamenco dancer Belen Maya internationally and collaborated with her fellow Catalan, the late jazz pianist Tete Montolieu, and more recently with the popular French pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque on disc and on tour, but her intense and beautiful performance on this disc deserves to establish her worldwide.

Accompanied by a quintet of two violins, guitar, double bass and percussion, she has composed music for a dozen poems by the Malagan poet and writer. These are verses which speak intimately of Spanish life and history.  Born in 1928, Manuel Alacantara writes of the sea, his childhood, Pablo Picasso, and the poet Miguel Hernandez who died in prison in 1942. Martin acknowledges her flamenco origins but sublimates her vocal power to harmonize with her acoustic instrumental backing, particularly the wash of sweet violins of Olvida Lana and Biel Graella. Whether she sings of the port in ‘Por La Mar Chica Del Puerto’ where the ‘divers are searching for my memories’, a love affair in ‘En Aquel Tiempo’ or the Malagan countryside in ‘Al Sur De Los Limones’, Martin’s arrangements move beyond language, resonating with universal voice. –Michael Rofe

Music Australia Guide, August
5 stars

The Spanish singer has used 12 poems by Manuel Alcantra (b. Malaga, 1928) as the basis for these flamenco songs. Using a small ensemble (two guitars, two violins, bass and percussion) she creates an intimate atmosphere that suits his poems perfectly. Martin has a finely tuned ear for the subtleties of Alcantra’s poetry and her vividly expressive voice enhances this exquisite music. Add to this superb guitar playing (Martin and Jose Luis Monton), delicately wrought violins (Biel Graells and Olvido Lanza) and an elegant rhythm section (Chico Fargas and Guillermo Prats) and this is a winner.

Wishing to return to the house where she can recuperate from the pain of love, Ana Moura sets the tone for this wonderful exposition of contemporary fado in the title song. Fado means fate in Portuguese. This music’s sad but tender themes of the heart originate in sea songs from Portugal’s past as a maritime power, when its sailors left for colonies and new worlds. These are love songs, confessions of regret, but also the expression of hope for a better future.

Leva-Me Aos Fados is Ana Moura’s fourth recording and her best. It confirms her status as one of the best new-generation fadistas, along with her compatriots Joana Amendoeira and the more celebrated Mariza. Although the latter is now exploring a more contemporary fusion sound, Moura keeps the traditional trio group format of acoustic guitar and bass and the sweet-sounding, teardrop-shaped 12-string Portuguese guitar, but adds an extra acoustic guitar.

She started her career as a pop singer, but a chance meeting with friends led to a visit to a fado house, and an invitation to sing. Accompanied by her producer and principal songwriter Jorge Fernando, she has crafted a delightful mix of songs, with the highlight being the tender ballad Rumo ao Sul, where she sings of her departure at the end of an affair. Even without the accompanying translations, the universality of her message shines through. –Michael Rofe