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Extraordinary Rendition
Participated by Rupa & the April Fishes
Studio : Cumbancha
by Cumbancha
Release Date : 2008-04-15
Publisher : Cumbancha
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
EAN : 0890846001077
UPC : 890846001077
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 7 reviews)
List Price : $16.98
Our Price : $10.23
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Album Description |
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Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rupa & the April Fishes create music that defies easy categorization. Their debut album, eXtraOrdinary rendition, echoes with influences of classic French chanson, Argentinean tango, Gypsy swing, American folk, Latin cumbias, and even hints of Indian ragas. With their progressive blend of international flavors with a youthful alternative rock energy, the trend-setting band is spearheading a multicultural movement that is redefining the sound of contemporary music. Shades of Manu Chao, Lhasa, Pink Martini, Gogol Bordello and more can be heard in their appealing, polyglot sound. |
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Extraordinary, humane, sensual |
Extraordinary Rendition
Music - 5 stars (glass of vine and cigarette)
Vocal - 5+ stars (to die for)
Recording/Mixing - 4 stars (instruments sometimes overwhelm her vocal)
Instrumentation - 3 stars (her earlier CD "La Pecheuse" recording w/o The April Fishes was much more sensual and intimate.}
World would be much nicer place if more people listen and crete this type of music. This is not for "borgs".
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Reminds me of Pink Martini, with global twist. |
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Refreshing new sound. excellent mix. I really love Rupa's voice. What a wonderful CD. I've recommended it to a lot of people. |
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Extraordinary Rendition Indeed |
I stumbled upon a review of this disc in, of all places, the Christian Science Monitor. Although I listen to classical music almost exclusively, the album sounded too intriguing to pass up: a woman of East Indian heritage; born in the Bay Area; lived in southern France; sings in French, Spanish, English and Hindi; and a physician to boot!
Well, I've had the album for a week, and it has rarely left my CD player in that time. This is exceptional, imaginative music making of the highest order, and I agree with all the positive things the other reviewers have said about it. But to add a couple of points, I don't think anyone has commented on Rupa's voice, which I would describe as soft, intimate, sensual, even otherworldly at times. She is also capable of rousing, high spiritedness. Rupa a very idiomatic singer of French, in a true bal musette style. If I didn't know otherwise, I'd easily take her for a native speaker. The band is terrific and the arrangements, imaginative. Rupa writes her own, very thoughtful lyrics, often in a metaphorical style. To the extent they are political, they are lightly so--more about how politics affect human relationships. The reviewer who called her music "agit pop" (sic) does it a disservice; it is much too subtle and imaginative for that. Nor do I agree that one of the songs is about facing anti-American prejudice in Paris. That's the starting point, but to me, it's really about the artificial boundaries that separate people.
With all of the different styles she embraces, you might wonder if this is just a multicultural hodge-podge. Not at all; the songs have a coherence about them, which makes them sound like different facets of one musical personality, which of course they are. Although she doesn't sound like him, she reminds me of Jacques Brel in spirit. If he is listening to Rupa, wherever he may be, I know he is smiling.
Charming artwork. If you want to find out where Rupa got the name, "The April Fishes," or why she sings in foreign languages, go to The April Fishes website--sorry, but Marketadvisory review guidelines don't allow mention of actual URLs in reviews.
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P.S. It is now two months since I wrote this review, and I just visited a Border's Bookstore in Chicago. I was surprised and delighted to find this album playing in the music department, and one of the salespeople told me it was a great staff favorite. In the few minutes I was there, another customer, obviously interested, approached a salesperson to ask what it was.
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P.P.S. We are in the middle of a World Music Festival in Chicago, and Rupa gave three concerts here over the weekend. I was lucky enough to hear two of them, on the same day. The first was an open-air concert at Navy Pier, one of Chicago's major entertainment venues. Rupa started with a large crowd and ended with an enormous crowd as more and more people were enticed by her music. Sales of the CD were brisk, and only a few of the evening concertgoers were able to get a copy before they were completely gone.
In the evening, she was preceded by a group from New York playing psychedelic Peruvian music. They were very good and were well received, but Rupa brought the house down--loud cheers after every number and two standing ovations at the end.
You would think from the whispered, sultry tones on the CD that she is the kind of performer you would find draped over a piano lid in a smoky cabaret. She is in fact an electrifying and very physical performer who can whip an audience into a frenzy. No phony theatrics here--she just sings and plays her heart out. She appears to be someone of great personal warmth as well, and has an obvious affection for each member of her band. Speaking of whom, I was going to throw a compliment in the direction of Isabel Douglass, the accordionist, but each of the band members is so good it would be remiss for me to single anyone out.
So grab this CD, hope that there will be another one soon, and keep your fingers crossed that Rupa come to your hometown. |
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Very good and innovative music |
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The music is very happy and makes me want to dance. I like the mixture of French, Indian and Spanish sounds. |
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Rupa and the April Fishes - Awesome |
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I think Rupa and the April Fishes are terrific. They are full of energy, the music is great, and the lyrics are meaningful. Since my French is so so, I appreciated the inclusion of the English translation that came with the album. Rupa is a great entertainer, and the band that supports her is great; what a diverse group that puts together some great music. |
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