Album reviews – Page 16 – World Music Central

Foundling - Artemisia cover artwork. A blurry image of a woman's face.

Album reviews

Foundling’s Artemisia Brings Harp-Led Fantasy Ambient

Foundling – Artemisia (Shadow World SW021, 2026) Artemisia is the new album from Foundling, the project of Canadian-born, Berlin-based vocalist, bassist, and harpist Erin Lang.…

Wesli - Makaya cover artwork. A photo of Wesli smiling.

Album reviews

I Second That

Tom Orr February 2, 2026 No Comments Haitian music Wesli world fusion world music

Wesli – Makaya (WUP, 2025) As is often the case, I must agree wholeheartedly with my colleague/boss Angel Romero. His summing-up of the album Makaya…

A blue background. Geometric shapes in reds, yellows, and blacks, arranged in a floating composition. Four illustrated portrait cutouts of the musicians drift across the design.

Album reviews

A Lins Through Time: Keberle Honors a Brazilian Icon

Iliana Cabrera January 31, 2026 No Comments Brazilian music Ryan Keberle world music

Ryan Keberle & Collectiv do Brasil – Choro das Águas (Alternate Side Records, 2025) On Choro das Águas, trombonist Ryan Keberle and his São Paulo-based…

Aba Diop - Family cover artwork. A photo of Aba holding a drum.

Album reviews

All in the Sabar Family: Aba Diop Recasts a Tradition for New Ears

Sonia Keller January 30, 2026 No Comments

Aba Diop – Family (2025) Family is a courageous step forward for Senegalese percussionist Aba Diop, who repositions the wonderful sabar drum set at the…

ODUCHU — Nostalgia cover artwork. The album title and artist in white lettering over a green background.

Album reviews

Throat-Singing Duo Oduchu Brings Healing Tuvan Sounds To the World

Angel Romero January 28, 2026 No Comments Oduchu Tuvan music world music

Oduchu – Nostalgia 图瓦乡愁 (Stallion Era, 2025) Oduchu, a Tuvan duo whose name means “healer,” its third album Nostalgia, the group’s official entry into the…

Two women stand at the center of a forest clearing, wearing long ornate gowns. Trees arch above them and there are distant hills the background. A harp and a synthesizer rest near the path, while small animals watch from the underbrush.

Album reviews

Harp Spells & Synth Charms: Inside Tragic Magic

Nicky Morningstar January 27, 2026 No Comments ambient music electronic music Julianna Barwick Mary Lattimore

Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore – Tragic Magic (Infiné, 2026) Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore have announced Tragic Magic, a collaborative ambient album recorded at…

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino - Il Mito. An illustration of a single palm tree with a deep root.

Album reviews

Pizzica Legends Celebrate 50 Years With Il Mito

Iliana Cabrera January 26, 2026 No Comments Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino Italian music Mauro Durante pizzica world music

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino – Il Mito (Ponderosa Music Records, 2026) Italian ensemble Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino has just released Il Mito (The Myth). For sure, Canzoniere…

Deep red and burnt orange fields form an abstract, weathered background with thin black lines looping and crossing the surface. The group name appears on the left, while the album title Close To Nothing sits in small white type at the upper right. Three musician names stack beneath the band name, and a tiny record-label emblem rests in the lower corner.

Album reviews

EH3 Returns With New Jazz-Rock Set, Close To Nothing

Angel Romero January 25, 2026 No Comments EH3 Erik Smith Erland Helbø Erland Helbø Trio Frode Ågedal Berg jazz fusion jazz-rock Knut Løchsen progressive rock

EH3 / Erland Helbø Trio – Close To Nothing (Losen Records, 2025) Close To Nothing is the second release from EH3 / Erland Helbø Trio,…

The cover bursts with bright tropical colors. “Gio Chamba” stretches across the top in heavy navy lettering over a gradient of orange, green, and yellow. Stylized palms, stars, and abstract geometric patterns frame a central green plant shape dotted with lively circles. The title Tropidelicos appears in rounded yellow letters along the middle.

Album reviews

Gio Chamba Cranks Up Psychedelic Cumbia On Tropidelicos

Iliana Cabrera January 25, 2026 No Comments Gio Chamba world music

Gio Chamba – Tropidelicos (Mixto Records, 2025) Houston duo Gio Chamba released their new album Tropidelicos not long ago. The eight-track set is characterized by…

A golden desert scene frames four figures in black-and-gold ceremonial dress, centered before a halo. A smoking vessel centers the composition, while pyramids and a stylized city rise in the background beneath a star-filled sky. The title Ntu Futurism appears below, with L8 Antique above in metallic lettering.

Album reviews

NTU Futurism And A Cosmic Spin On Afro-Futurism

Tyler Bennet January 24, 2026 No Comments world fusion world music

L8 Antique – NTU Futurism (2025) South African ensemble L8 Antique has released its debut album, NTU Futurism, a project rooted in African spirituality and…