New Age, Alternative,
Metaphysical Publication
Aquarius-Atlanta.com

World and New Age Music Reviews

By Linda Grant Niemann, Ayn Turner, and Kathryn Sargent

Starting Point, by Kotaro Oshio is a very nice and balanced mixture of acoustic guitar played with steel strings. The CD is published by Narada music and is a judiciously executed blend of guitar mastery. It would lend itself to meditation, yoga or just pleasurable listening. Kotaro Oshio makes the music sound so clean by injecting his special brand of Asian swing into the textured vibes. The background percussion and vocals are also nicely done. He comes off as a skilled musician in his genre, and his music is very melifluous in its technique and delivery. As an acoustic work, I would rate it very highly. Starting Point is a wonderful departure from the norm in guitar-listening pleasure. - AT

Buena Vista: The Next Generation.When I first heard about this CD, I was skeptical about its basic premise: that relatives of famous musicians inherit their musical abilities. Frankly, it sounded like hype. The music, however, speaks for itself. This is a consistently good album, with danceable upbeat tracks and a few really memorable ones, such as “Palmira,” and “Que Rico Son.” The talented composer of most of the songs is Elsa Torres, who receives no publicity, perhaps because she is not related to anyone in the Buena Vista Social Club. The arranger, trombonist J.P. Torres, plays trombone, guitar, and sings on most of the tracks. He clearly is the driving force behind this lively jam session. The music builds on traditional Cuban son and rhumba, but adds dominant percussion. The voices of vocalists Concita Torres and Maria Ochoa are particularly haunting. The group plays one song by Compay Segundo, “Chan Chan,” also heard on the Buena Vista Social Club album, and its presence here reminds us of older, more lyrical times. With music like this, however, viva el porvenir! The future lives. - LGN