Album reviews | World Music Central

The album cover for Mulatu Plays Mulatu by Mulatu Astatke features a sepia-toned portrait of the artist in the center, framed by Ethiopian script and surrounded by intricate black-and-white illustrations of traditional instruments, cultural symbols, and historical imagery.

Album reviews

Mulatu Plays Mulatu’s Ethio-jazz Brings Us Together

Mulatu Astatke — Mulatu Plays Mulatu (Strut Records, 2025) Mulatu Plays Mulatu is Mulatu Astatke’s first major studio album in more than a decade. Furthermore,…

The album cover for Etno Grupa Bosiljak – Made in Brčko: Serbian Songs from Bosnia and Herzegovina features a close-up of a young woman in traditional folk attire. she wears an embroidered white blouse, colorful woven belt, and golden skirt.

Album reviews

Brčko Beats: Serbian Folk Finds a Home in the Borderlands

Tyler Bennet August 29, 2025 No Comments Anastasija Ilić Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian music Dalioborka Živković Dragana Radovanović Elena Živković Etno Grupa Bosiljak Helena Ćurčić Jovana Pajkanović Lara Zekonja Milan Marković Milica Antić Nikolina Antić Serbian music Snežana Mitrović Suzana Đurković Svjetlana Nedeljković Svjetlana Popić world music

Etno Grupa Bosiljak – Made in Brčko: Serbian Songs from Bosnia and Herzegovina (Antonovka Records, 2025) This release by Etno Grupa Bosiljak presents deeply rooted…

The album cover features a dark sky fading into warm shades of purple and orange near the horizon, resembling a sunset. At the center, the title “Tempvs Fvgit” is written in a minimalist font with the letters “vs” in orange. A dotted semicircle surrounds the title, echoing the passage of time. Below, in smaller text, appears the phrase “da camin·u,” aligned with the same modern style.

Album reviews

Polyphony Without Ornament: Tempvs Fvgit’s Raw, Unfiltered Voices

Daryana Antipova August 28, 2025 No Comments a cappella Corsican polyphony Tempvs Fvgit world music

Tempvs Fvgit – Da caminu (Self-released, 2025) With Da caminu, Corsican vocal ensemble Tempvs Fvgit continue their reimagining of traditional polyphony, bringing it into dialogue…

Album reviews

A Duo That Speaks Volumes

Angel Romero August 26, 2025 No Comments Evelyn Glennie Raymond Antrobus

Raymond Antrobus & Evelyn Glennie – Aloud (Toy Gun Murder Records, 2025) Poet Raymond Antrobus and percussionist Evelyn Glennie reunite for the album Aloud. The…

Album reviews

Pianist Harold López-Nussa Dazzles with ‘New Timba’

Angel Romero August 24, 2025 1 Comment Cuban music Harold López-Nussa world music

Harold López-Nussa – Nueva Timba (Blue Note, 2025) Cuban pianist Harold López-Nussa returns with Nueva Timba, a fantastic album that combines jazz innovation with Cuban…

The album cover for Africa Express Presents... Bahidorá features a lush, tropical scene with crystal-clear water reflecting palm trees and dense greenery. The title appears in bold pink letters at the bottom left,

Album reviews

Africa Express Heads West Across the Atlantic

Tyler Bennet August 22, 2025 No Comments Africa Express African music world fusion world music

Africa Express presents… Bahidorá (World Circuit Records, 2025) Eighteen years after its unannounced Glastonbury debut, Africa Express continues to defy categories and borders. The collective’s…

The album cover features a futuristic, armored figure with a patterned red hat and shoulder designs, set against a background of gold, blue, purple, and black swirls. Origami-like star shapes in various colors float around.

Album reviews

Zambia’s WITCH Looks Ahead on ‘Sogolo’

Tyler Bennet August 19, 2025 No Comments Charlie Garmendia Emmanuel “Jagari” Chanda Hanna Tembo Jacco Gardner Nicola Mauskovic Patrick Mwondela Theresa Ng’ambi world music Zambian music Zamrock

WITCH – Sogolo (Partisan Records, 2025) WITCH, the pioneering Zamrock band from Zambia’s Copperbelt, continues its 21st-century resurgence with Sogolo, an exciting, groove-driven follow-up to 2021’s Zango.…

The album cover for Subtropical by Cocoa Thrill features mirrored black-and-white cactus silhouettes arranged symmetrically against a teal background. The title appears in yellow lowercase serif font at the center, with the artist’s name in smaller yellow type at the bottom.

Album reviews

From Salento to Santiago: A Transcontinental Musical Bridge

Iliana Cabrera August 18, 2025 No Comments Cocoa Thrill Italian music Jazz world fusion world music

Cocoa Thrill – Subtropical (Linfa, 2025) Cocoa Thrill, an instrumental quintet based in Apulia, Italy, explores global rhythms through a distinctly Southern lens on their…

Album reviews

Mountain Echoes, Village Voices: Ravnogorski Biseri Bring Ravnogor to Life

JGurski August 17, 2025 No Comments Bulgarian music kaba gaida Ravnogor Ravnogorski Biseri Rhodope Mountains world music

Ravnogorski Biseri – Images from Ravnogor (Aide Aide Music & Dance, 2025) Images from Ravnogor offers an unfiltered window into the traditional music of southern…

The album cover for Zhenya Wind's The Earth is Moving resembles a hand-painted folk illustration. At the center, Zhenya Wind appears barefoot, dressed in flowing traditional attire, raising an arm toward the sky. Three fiery, birdlike creatures soar above, evoking mythological firebirds. Behind her, the landscape rolls with green hills, birch trees, a wooden cabin, and distant golden onion domes, all bathed in the glow of a rising or setting sun. The ornate border is decorated with mushrooms, plants, and intricate folk motifs.

Album reviews

The Earth Moves with Zhenya Wind’s Fourth Album

Daryana Antipova August 16, 2025 No Comments Russian folk music world music Zhenya Wind

Zhenya Wind — The Earth is Moving (Self-released, 2025) In her fourth album, The Earth is Moving, St. Petersburg’s multi-genre artist Zhenya Wind steps fully…