Search - Huun-Huur-Tu :: Sixty Horses in My Herd

A good album, but there's better Tuvan albums out there

woburnmusicfan | Woburn, MA United States | 06/14/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"By some quirk of fate, I've ended up with 9 CDs of Tuvan music (including hybrid projects like "Fly, Fly My Sadness"). It's an acquired taste, and I have friends who hate the stuff. Tuvan throat-singing techniques allow a singer to produce two notes at once, a low drone and a higher melody that is produced from the overtones of the drone note. The style originated with herders who sang it on horseback while tending their flocks; the music therefore has the same horse-gait rhythm as American cowboy music. Huun-Huur-Tu is a Tuvan group that plays old songs that were in danger of being forgotten (traditional culture was not prized when the Soviets were in power), led by Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, who was memorable as Paul Pena's host in the documentary "Genghis Blues". This album gives you plenty of khoomei (the general name for throat-singing) and several good songs. It's a pretty good album, but there are at least four Tuvan CDs I like better, including Huun-Huur-Tu's second album, "The Orphan's Lament". My favorite tracks here are "Lament of the Igil" and "Kongurei". The caravan-drivers' song, "Ching Soortukchulerining Yryzy", is my favorite Tuvan song, but the version here is surprisingly listless. (The explanation I've heard of this song in concert suggests the lyrics are not as G-rated as those in the liner notes.) For a much better rendition, check out the CD "Tuva: Voices from the Land of the Eagles", which also included Khovalyg -- that album also included the "Lament of the Igil" and "Bayan Dugai", both of which appear here. Anatoli Kuular, the best voice in Tuvan music, appears in the group photo on the back but not on the album (he joined Huun-Huur-Tu for their next CD)."

Good stuff

Joseph Johnson | Manhattan, KS, USA | 05/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a good group to listen to in order to get an appreciation for this unique music. The music is pure Tuvan. There are no "fusion" tracks, and no throatsinging over techno beats. The melodies are hypnotic, and the instruments are the traditional instruments of the nomads. The techniques they use are amazing. Kaigal-ol's khoomei has a very unique sound to it that is worth hearing by itself. This is the best throatsinging CD I've heard yet."

Tuva Blast!

tropic_doc | Washington, DC USA | 10/15/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How to begin with such a great album? To have listened to Tuvan kargyraa (basso throat singing) is to be world's richer. Crank up the base on the second track and melt into another world! The instrumentals are fantastic as well. This album shows how a group of generally unknown musicians could sell out a week at Carnegie Hall and at the Filmore in San Francisco."