On February 9th the dancehall legend Sanchez is back with his new album Now & Forever. His gift for crooning romantic lyrics over hard edged dancehall riddims has earned him numerous hits throughout the past two decades and legions of fans.

The veteran recording artist and consummate performer, Sanchez makes his return to the scene with this new 15 track studio album produced by Donovan Germain of Penthouse Recordings.

Songs for Reggae Lovers 3 releases on February 9th, this album aims straight for the heart; presenting 30 top hits from reggae’s brightest stars, singing about love. Specially prepared for Valentine’s Day, this collection showcases old and new favorites including the latest hit from rising UK vocalist Gappy Ranks titled ‘The Rain’.

Covers for Reggae Lovers presents a collection of Reggaefied love songs for music fans of all kinds; Covers for Reggae Lovers will be available February 9th. It features a range of musical styles from new and veteran reggae artists. Stand out tracks include; Janet Kay ‘Take A Bow’, One Third ‘ I Wanna Know What Love Is’ and Calvin Richardson with ‘There Goes My Baby’.

 _{Rounder Records announced the release of the self titled debut album by Summertown Road on March 23. Produced by renowned bluegrass musician Don Rigsby, Summertown Road is a fresh collection of bluegrass tunes – with 9 out of 14 tracks written by members of the band.}

_{With their skillful songwriting, emotional vocals, tight harmonies, and first-rate musicianship,} Summertown Road _{manages to straddle both sides of the bluegrass spectrum at once – the traditional and the contemporary – appealing to every bluegrass fan imaginable. (see below for complete track listing).} 

Compiled by the artist Deeyah and Freemuse, the Listen to the Banned CD compilation album will be released on March 3rd of 2010 by Norway’s Grappa Records and distributed internationally. The collection includes many of the best known politically censored musicians: Lapiro de Mbanga, Freemuse Award winner Tiken Jah Fakoly, Marcel Khalife, Mahsa Vahdat, and Ferhat Tunç. They are musicians who have told their stories on freemuse.org, some of them have performed at Music Freedom Day or at Freemuse conferences, and they all share personal experiences of being censored, persecuted or even threatened.
 

Killamu is one of the busiest kuduro beat makers in Luanda, Angola's bustling capital. Although kuduro has started to reach ears all over the globe, via groups such as Buraka Som Sistema or M.I.A., Luanda's sound has yet to truly break through. Killamu's album "A Minha Face", out on Akwaaba Music, is the genre's first global release entirely recorded in Angola.
 
 Killamu has been part of the Angolan kuduro scene for ten years now, and started producing tracks for Gueto Produções with Mestre Ara eight years ago. The duo quickly established their production house as one of the very best in Luanda, collaborating with many of Angola’s most innovative kudurists: laying tracks for artists such as Puto Prata, Noite e Día and Fofandó & Saborosa, together they have paved the way for the next generation of hard-hitting, rhyme-spitting kuduro lyricists.

Recorded in the middle of Etran Finatawa’s 2009 European tour, the group's 2010 album Tarkat Tajje/Let’s Go! reveals an incredible new groove, mature voices and sophisticated lyrics. They have created a unique sound with which to voice their ideas and concerns regarding their endangered traditional way of life. Their previous album, Desert Crossroads, was an exploration of the realities of being a nomad in a changing society. This new album reaches a whole new philosophical level, as the band begins to explore their role as human beings, and cultural ambassadors, in a society of continuous global change.
 
 Written by Alhousseini, the track ‘Aitma (Brother)’ is an appeal to all men and women of all races and nations to start celebrating their shared similarities, instead of only seeing the differences. While in ‘Kalamoujar (Brotherhood)’, Etran Finatawa pays tribute to those men who come together to stand and defend their ideas. Another political song, ‘Ummee Ndaaren (Stand Up And Go For The Right Thing)’ was inspired by Bagui’s experience in his community, and implores people to stand up and react when the wrong leader has been appointed.

Kelly Thoma’s debut album entitled “Anamkhara” has been recently released by Seistron Music. The word Anamkhara derives from the Irish Gaelic language and means “friend of the soul”.
 
 All of the tracks on the CD are composed and arranged by Kelly Thoma, who is one of the core members of Ross Daly’s “Labyrinth” ensemble for the past ten years. Her chosen instrument is the Cretan lyra which she plays in her own unique way, reflecting the rich experience which she has gained in Labyrinth through her collaborations with master musicians from various countries.

Seeking to raise awareness of the critical impact of slash and burn agriculture and climate change in her native Madagascar, singer Razia Said has created an album of original songs titled Zebu Nation. The album celebrates the wealth of Malagasy musical culture and will be released in the U.S. & Canada by Cumbancha Discovery on February 23, 2010.
 
 Zebu Nation is the outcome of a personal journey that began in February 2007 when Razia returned to Madagascar to reconnect with the land she left as an eleven year-old child. For six weeks she traveled around the country in a van with a group of musicians and a film and audio recording crew. Along the way, she visited inspiring local musicians and saw firsthand the damage done to her homeland's forests and landscapes. The results of her journey are reflected in the stunning collection of songs featured on Zebu Nation, and in an interactive multimedia website that includes songs, pictures and videos from her travels.