Blending the rhythm of bolero with jazz intricacy and the relaxed feel of Parisian café music, “Quiero” by sultry-voiced Guatemalan singer Amelia Rivera is a…
Beyond Bolero
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.
Samba Royalty
As reigning king of a self-explanatory genre called sambasoul, Brazil’s Wesley Noog proves his claim to the throne on “Pródigo,” a charmer with layers of…
It Takes All Kinds
A multinational band called Womankind delivers “Apaga La Luz,” a smooth but sizzling Latin-flavored track celebrating the virtues of the fairer gender.
New and Old from Portugal
Traditional Portuguese music is grandly showcased on “Espantalho do Deserto,” the debut single by the band Trevo de Cordas. The song moves between heartbeat-like subtlety…
A Fania Favorite
Senegalese singer Fania Niang has been making noteworthy music for over two decades. Her recent track “l empreinte” is a hypnotic combination of lightly husky…
Keeping Grandmothers Grand
Congolese by birth and based in Toronto, Jonathan Nvita honors women of a certain age and status on “Kaku” (“Grandma”), which merges soukous with hints…
Love in Triplicate
Italian guitarist Gianluca Verrengia shows both finesse and fire throughout “Tres Amores,” an exemplary piece of flamenco rumba (rumba flamenca) that’s largely instrumental until choral…
Desert Delight
I’ve long agreed with the contention that blues music was born in Saharan Africa, and the most recent affirmation is courtesy of “Tansihay” by Hamida…
Expressive and Impressive
Baklava Express – Sabába (self-released, 2026) For those of us who were quite taken by Baklava Express’s debut album Davka from three years ago, it’s…
A Mother Lode of Laouto
Vasilis Kostas — Léna (General Music, 2026) Vasilis Kostas is a master of the Greek lute known as the lauto (or laouto), and like any…