Hello again, Gordon,
I typed these comments while listening to the following songs you posted:
Puspa Dewi - "Saking Tuhu Manah Guru"
Balinese Folk song with World Music flair
AFRICA1
Lovely! So energetic and peppy. A pretty tune, very catchy, and I enjoyed the drums with the twangy guitar. I was disappointed the song was so short! I would enjoy hearing this short clip extended to become a full song. Are you playing the drums by hand yourself? They sound real.
Harare Waltz
I also enjoyed this one very much! It has more of a rock feel to it because of the base in the drums. I’m a fan of folk music, since I grew up doing international dancing. I like hearing how you incorporate folk songs into your music. I am curious....which of your instruments are “real”? For example, do you actually have a drum set? Once again, it sounded real to me, but I couldn't tell for sure.
Send My Love To You
has a nice relaxed reggae feel. A sweet song, once again. I enjoyed the lyrics: “Sometimes I feel in control of myself; other times I feel like I’m going insane; sometimes I feel like a desert; sometimes I feel like the sky.” The song builds nicely near the end (beginning around 2:50). I assume you are using a fake Jamaican accent? I assume people from Lancashire who end up in Georgia don't sound Jamaican!
Sounds realistic to me. An aside: I imagine you miss your reggae band from Lancashire. Have you found many people in Georgia with similar musical interests as you? In other words, is being a "one person band" by choice or by necessity due to a lack of potential bandmates?
Women of Ireland
Once I read that the original music, composed by Sean O Riada, is based on an old Irish poem from the 1700s, I very much wished that your version included lyrics! It was pleasant as an instrumental, but to me the electric guitar sounded lonely without the words to go with the tune. Around 2:00 the song sounds like Yes’ song “Soon”-- a very effective, haunting sound. Since I’m a “lyrics” person, instrumental pieces usually sound like they are missing something to me. The ending reminded me of a landing plane and was surprisingly modern.
I'll be curious to hear more of your work and revisions!
--Erica