Dogan Mehmet
Album: Outlandish
Label: Hobgoblin
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.doganmehmet.com

Perhaps not as literally outlandish as outland-ish, is the character of the music we encounter on Do?an's followup to his widely-acclaimed debut CD Gypsyhead. That impression could be due to the fact that we've got used to Do?an's musical credo by now, and its mix of Turkish Cypriot and traditional English folk musics no longer surprises to quite the same extent or makes the same degree of impact. Perhaps too, it's no longer exactly the "shock of the new" with which Gypsyhead had presented us.

But to be fair, there have been significant musical developments for Do?an over the past couple of years too. For, since the release of Gypsyhead, Do?an's backing band The Deerhunters have morphed into the nine-piece Boombox Karavan with the timely addition of violinist Jem Muharrem (Do?an's cousin), rapper/trombonist Freddie Phethean, sax and clarinet player Andy Strong and guitarist/bassist Seth Tinsley.

I'll admit, the disc's first few tracks don't sound massively promising on first acquaintance, with the opening "anglo-Ottoman funk" of Lord Bateman followed by a leaden rhythm and rap dominating Baris Manço's song Domates Biber Patlican. Another difficulty for some listeners is that they may still find Do?an's vocal way with English traditional repertoire a touch wearing, even a little mannered on occasion, but he can at least boast a distinctive and unusual singing style and I find it stimulatingly theatrical. Perhaps the most persuasive demonstration of its blending with the more outland-ish roots elements is the album's central track Roaming Journey Man, which takes you on a musical journey with a traditional Cypriot dance tune (Sarhos Zeybek) at its heart. Do?an's tutor James Fagan drops in on backing vocals for that song, and coincidentally is credited as the source for the very next track, the broadside ballad Miles Weatherhill, which (interestingly) Do?an performs entirely a cappella - and with drama aplenty - in just under three minutes.

In direct contrast, Do?an brings in vocalist Natalie Fisher to give an edge to the deep-south gospel-cum-funky-oldtimey setting of Bonny Boy, which eventually convinces with its tasty musical arrangement (and banjo ace Dan Walsh in tow). Another daringly experimental epic comes in the form of the seven-minute Rakish Young Fellow, where Do?an continues his quest to remix Walter Pardon's entire catalogue (!) and creatively intersperses this reflective song with a morris tune newly written by the entire band. The more orthodox rocky setting of Do?an's "big band" version of the ballad Young Edwin, however, doesn't convince anything like as much as Do?an's new account of "the world's oldest recorded Turkish folk song" Uskudar or the Turkish gypsy jazz adventures of Azziye And Susta (Slight Return). The final track is a soulful, if straightforward take on the traditional anthem Leymosun Turkusu from the village of Limassol, which builds nicely and sounds as though it was recorded live.

On balance, then, Outlandish is probably not an entirely consistent record, with a couple of misfires along the way, but it can be applauded for its risk-taking and certainly has its moments nevertheless, with enough successes to keep us interested through most of its 59-minute timespan.

David Kidman