Sometimes all an artist needs is the right meetup of traditional and contemporary sounds. Moroccan / French singer Lyam Akram achieves as much with “Nassibi,”…
Lyam Akram’s Spirited Moroccan Alchemy
Author: Tom Orr
Tom Orr is a California-based writer whose talent and mental stability are of an equally questionable nature. His hobbies include ignoring trends, striking dramatic poses in front of his ever-tolerant wife and watching helplessly as his kids surpass him in all desirable traits.
Delightful Harmonica with a Latin Music Twist
It’s not often that you hear a harmonica solo on a Latin-flavored track, but it’s just one of several ingredients that makes “Chico Tímido” by…
Shapeshifting Ancient Ballad Celebrates the Lady of Aragon
Inventive U.K. artist Periscopi Invertit scores again with “La dama d’aragó.” It’s a Catalan ballad from centuries ago, with similarities to a Greek folk song…
Joyful Cumbia by Italy’s Beppe Delre
Beppe Delre is an Italian with a lengthy musical resume, so I’m guessing that the Latin/cumbia style of his track “L’anguria” is only a sampling…
Mediterranean Seasoned Music by Stunning Serbian Guitarist Aleksandar Cupara
“When She Dances,” an instrumental piece by Serbian classical guitarist Aleksandar Cupara, is a lengthy yet consistently engaging display of dazzling Mediterranean-flavored fret work.
Enchanting “Viens sentir le vent” by Laure Trazzi
Sung in French but with a distinct Lusophone feel throughout the melody and groove, “Viens sentir le vent” by France’s Laure Trazzi is a lilting…
Afro Celt Sound System, A Lasting Legacy
Afro Celt Sound System – OVA (Six Degrees Records, 2024) By the time he formed Afro Celt Sound System in 1995, multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and…
Sapocaya’s Multicultural Array of Afro-Rooted Jazz
With their instrumental track “Baraúna,” a French band called Sapocaya expertly captures the point where Africa, Brazil, and jazz converge.
Superb Song by Cameroonian Artist Princess Vinia
I don’t know if she’s actual royalty, but Cameroon’s Princess Vinia has a dandy of a track called “Barbasin” that starts with a beat tapped…
Superb Jamaican-American Roots Reggae Collaboration
Clinton Fearon, formerly of the Gladiators and a longtime resident of Seattle, gives an added roots reggae boost to ‘Come with Us’ by the U.S.’s…