Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

There’s been no shortage of great international acts featured on CSV over the years, but I thought I’d feature some favorite tracks of mine from around the world.

Hevia – “Busindre Reel“.  Jose Angel Hevia Velasco is a Spanish bagpiper, and his music is as deliciously odd as that previous phrase.

Nitin Sawhney – “Mausam“. Indian-British musician is as exemplary of fusion music as there is. And the results are absolutely stunning in their delicateness.

Barbatuques – “Baiao Destemperado“. Sao Paulo, Brazil is the home of this eclectic collective that explore the true rhythms of the body. Amazing.

Mosh Ben Ari – “Nargish“. Israeli Mosh Ben Ari brings his peaceful messages into delightful and playful contexts.

You know what I’m talking about. “Maggie May”. The classic track from the one and only Rod Stewart. The Renaissance riff to begin the song, the stroking of the nostalgic guitars, Stewart’s smooth rasp, and who can forget the amazing solo at the end that culminates in the achingly nectar-sweet bridge?

Point is, it’s an amazing song! And we’re going to beat it into the ground with this post.

Listen to “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart.

Listen to “Maggie May (Live)” by The Faces, Stewart’s former band. If you’re thinking that this led to some serious legal disputes, you’re right…but not the way you’d think. The mandolin bridge that defines this song was allegedly written and performed by Ray Jackson, who has stated he was improperly compensated for his contributions to the song. Crazy. Just crazy.

Listen to “Maggie May” by Simtec & Wylie; a funked-out, horn-rich cover.

Hey all. I’m a little sparse on information about this band, but I got a few great ditties drop in my inbox about The B-roads and I wanted to share them with you.

The B-roads is the nom de plume of one Paul O’Hara, and his album B-movies features some great weathered, folky sounds. Rich and ethereal, bluesy and moody, B-movies sounds like Dave Matthews bumped into Iron & Wine on the street.

The B-roads have two tracks available for free on last.fm (see links below).

Check out the B-roads.

Listen to “If I look through your eyes”

Listen to “Slow Suicide“