TSAMADOU

Nice little CD by this obscure folk group from Germany. They released a couple of albums during the 80 before they broke up. The band was led by guitarist and violinist Ingo H'richt. Tsamadou is a collection of folk songs with little or no prog in it, although I must admit that the instrumental parts are very good, with some really esquisite flute and violin solos, both the highlights of this work. Vocals on the other hand are average at best, and, strangely for a german folk band, the lyrics are all sung in english. There is even a cover of the late american singer/songwriter Jim Groce (Time In A Bottle), but the remaining of the songs are quite european sounding.

There are some extra instruments played occasionally (harmonica, drums, percussion), but they are not credited on my CD sleeve. Most of the time the basic instrumentation is kept to the basic: two acoustic guitars, bass, flute and/or violin. The instrumental tracks are far better than the vocal ones, but generally this album is very smooth and pleasant with no real lows. There are few surprises though. If you like acoustic folk music and don't bother with the rather banal (with some accent) vocals, then this disc is recommended. Good, sometimes very good, but it would be better if they had as much care with the vocal parts as they had with the instrumental ones, like getting someone with a real good voice.

Rating: 3 stars.