Salif Keita La Différence (Emarcy Records/Decca, 2010) Mali has given the world so many great musicians that it’s difficult to point out one who could…
View More Still Making a DifferenceCategory: Album reviews
Persian Pulses
Ramin Rahimi & Friends The Pulse of Persia: Iranian Rhythms – Global Influences (ARC Music, 2010) All right all you percussion junkies, Ramin Rahimi has…
View More Persian PulsesCuracaoan Expressions
Oswin Chin Behilia Liber (Otrabanda Records, 2010) Oswin Chin Behilia’s Liber is bright and breezy as a warm Caribbean breeze and utterly effervescent as a…
View More Curacaoan ExpressionsRefreshing Tiki Exotica
The Waitiki 7 New Sounds of Exotica (Pass Out Records, 2010) On their latest recording, New Sounds of Exotica, The Waitiki 7 masterfully recreate the…
View More Refreshing Tiki ExoticaFrom the Heart of the Are’are
The Narasirato Pan Pipers Solomon Islands: Cry of the Ancestors (Arc Music EUCD 2147, 2008) The Narasirato Pan Pipers is a group of Are’are musicians…
View More From the Heart of the Are’areBuenos Aires Essence
Acho Estol Buenosaurios (Galileo Music GMC034, 2010) A new wave of musicians and songwriters has been revitalizing tango in recent years. Acho Estol is a…
View More Buenos Aires EssenceGumatj Beauty
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Gurrumul (Dramatico/Skinnyfish DRAMCD0054, 2008) One of the most fascinating discoveries in recent weeks is the album by Australian singer Gurrumul. He is…
View More Gumatj BeautySierra Maestros
Sierra Maestra Sonando Ya (Word Village, 2010) The new album by seminal Cuban band Sierra Maestra, Sonando Ya, leaves the old Cuban songbook and focuses…
View More Sierra MaestrosCharmed Sweetness of Africa
Lokua Kanza Nkolo (World Village, 2010) World Village has an uncanny knack for finding the hottest tickets in world music and Nkolo, the latest recording…
View More Charmed Sweetness of AfricaGoing For It
Etran Finatawa Tarkat Tajje / Let’s Go (Riverboat Records/World Music Network TUGCD1055, 2010) Don’t assume that this album’s built-in title translation or the exclamation point…
View More Going For It