Nuevo Mester de Juglaría – Coplas del Tío Sidín (Philips, 1986) Folk traditions meet precision on the album Coplas del Tío Sidín, a brisk, well-shaped…
Spirited Jotas: Nuevo Mester’s Joyful 1986 Spin
Category: Album reviews
Loko Gasy Brings Together Regional Madagascan Traditions on ‘Mifankatiava’
Loko Gasy – Mifankatiava (AudioMaze, 2025) Antananarivo quartet Loko Gasy has a new album, Mifankatiava (Love each other). The highly talented group, founded in 2023…
Tuning Into the Heart of Sarajevo: Divanhana’s Radio Sevdah
Divanhana – Radio Sevdah (CPL-Music, 2025) When Radio Sevdah begins, it feels like stepping into a warmly lit kitchen filled with familiar voices. The static…
Radio Tarifa Lights The Dark On ‘La noche’
Radio Tarifa – La noche (Buda, 2025) Radio Tarifa, now the duo of multi-instrumentalists Faín Sánchez Dueñas and Vincent Molino, returns many years later with…
A Piece of Infinity, Meklit’s Smithsonian Folkways Debut
Meklit – A Piece of Infinity (Smithsonian Folkways, 2025) Meklit will release A Piece of Infinity, her first album for Smithsonian Folkways, on September 26.…
‘O Rom’s “Radio Rom” Dials Up Southern Italian Melting Pot
‘O Rom – Radio Rom (Phonotype Records, 2025) I pressed play, expecting a postcard from Naples, and heard a joyful traveling station. Radio Rom recounts…
The American Spirit: Unheard Woody Guthrie Recordings Released
Woody Guthrie – Woody At Home — Volumes 1 & 2 (Shamus Records, 2025) A two-volume archival set, Woody At Home — Volumes 1 &…
Erin Ruth’s Traditions & Original Work
Erin Ruth – Traditions & Original Work (2025) San Francisco-based singer-songwriter and delightful vocalist Erin Ruth has released Traditions & Original Work, an album that…
Ritual, A Masterful Work of Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban Music
Léo Leobons – Ritual (Kaxambu Records, 2018) If you are into Cuban and Brazilian percussion, Ritual by Léo Leobons is a real treat. Ritual is…
Pipo Romero Elegantly Mixes Flamenco, Americana, and Electronics
Pipo Romero – Alborada (self-release, 2025) Spanish guitarist-composer Pipo Romero has released Alborada, his fourth studio album. The record centers on Romero’s elegant, inventive and…