Rhythm Tree

Album Review

With Rhythm Tree, Martin Cradick continues his unusual but frequently brilliant project of combining musical elements from Celtic Europe and from the Baka people of the Cameroon rainforest. His trips back and forth between Cameroon and the U.K. have resulted in musical collaborations that, on this album, vary in quality and interest from the pretty but quite overlong "Kobo" to the gorgeous and complex "Boulez Boulez," and from the title track, with its mouthbow, yodelling vocals and sturdy thumping beat, to the lovely Afro-Celt fusions that offer some of the most engaging moments on the album. These include a wonderful waulking song titled "Sad Among Strangers," buttressed here by whistle, guitar, and Baka percussion, and the lovely "Hush Hush," on which Paddy LeMercier's low violin snakes its way through a classical guitar and hand-drum accompaniment. It's the Baka singing that is the most arresting sound on the album, though — their voices sound like tootling whistles, and the melodies they sing are haunting and lovely. Very highly recommended.