Vintage yet current and charmingly offbeat while still managing to be timeless, singer Carsie Blanton embodies many contradictions. Her latest effort, Not Old, Not New, offers a strangely modern peek into the jazz world of yesteryear, filled with pianos keeping time and hazy speakeasy vibes. Tracks like “You Don’t Know What Love Is” and “What It Means to Miss New Orleans” feature Blanton’s mournful, sultry voice singing wistfully over laid-back piano notes. “Sweet Lorraine” and “Laziest Gal in Town” may up the ante with punctuations of horns and mild percussion, but the whole album stays sweetly easygoing. While you probably won’t be hitting the dance floor, you’ll find yourself swaying a little to her sweet ditties and enjoying the witty quips of her relatable lyrics. (Liz Trenholme)
Africa & Byzantium considers the complex artistic relationships between northern and eastern African Christian kingdoms and the Byzantine Empire from the fourth…