Today the music buying public is spoilt for choice.

Gone are the days when A&R men with the major labels decided what we could listen to. With indie labels and self-produced CDs all over the place, we are in music heaven. Unfortunately, the greater the choice the harder it is to get an audience. Native Tongue is a CD that will probably feature on countless TV documentaries or in feature films, but will likely falter when finding its niche among the listening public.

As a genre it is very difficult to classify. It's world music, yes, but that's a very broad landscape.

The music is good and well produced but there is no spark. Kam Falk is more than able as a performer but the music just does not grab me. Every single track is competent and is enjoyable to listen to but there is no piece here that I would pick out as exceptional. There is no track that I would deliberately play and call my friends in to listen.

I realise that music is written to please the ear but sometimes we need a little more.

It is surprising how often a track that is explained in liner notes can take on new meaning. No one writes or performs music without a background and, surprising as it may seem to some performers, that titbit of information can reveal the tune. In this case, some more background information on how or why a piece was composed would help the listeners.

If I had to recommend any tracks they would be "Katy's Song" and "Journey's End." These are the ones that come closest to revealing the talent of this performer.

[ by Nicky Rossiter ]
Rambles: 25 May 2002