Album reviews – Page 2 – World Music Central

Karsh Kale - Dust cover artwork. an illustration in black and white of a large ape's face (possibly a chimp), with yellow eyes.

Album reviews

The Many Faces of Karsh Kale’s Dust

Karsh Kale – Dust (Six Degrees, 2026) Karsh Kale returns in 2026 with Dust, his first full-length solo album in a decade. Tthe project expands…

Ancient Future — Purple Spirits cover artwork. A purple cover with three images inside circles. One of the images is a photo of Zakir Hussain.

Album reviews

Purple With Purpose

Tom Orr August 12, 2026 No Comments Ancient Future world fusion world music

I’m the first to admit that I have no clear definition for the term “world music.” I do, however, know that longstanding band Ancient Future…

Elena Moon Park - Nothing Is Ordinary cover artwork. A photo of elena playing ukele surrounded by and illustration of the sky, moon and a fox.

Album reviews

Elena Moon Park Announces Nothing Is Ordinary, A Collaborative All-Ages Album

Madison Quinn August 11, 2026 No Comments children's music Elena Moon Park world music

Elena Moon Park – Nothing Is Ordinary (Adhyâropa Records, 2026) Elena Moon Park’s third all-ages album, Nothing Is Ordinary, brings together reimagined folk and children’s…

Tanasi — Tanasi cover artwork. A watercolor-style landscape of layered mountains beneath an orange sunset, with a colorful winding river flowing toward the foreground and a small bird in flight. “TANASI” appears prominently across the top in large gold lettering.

Album reviews

Tanasi, Masters of Sensational, Enduring Worldgrass

Angel Romero August 10, 2026 No Comments Anya Hinkle Billy Cardine Bluegrass Mary Lucey old time Tanasi world fusion world music worldgrass

Tanasi — Tanasi (Self-Released, 2026) Tanasi’s self-titled debut album presents a flavorful musical exchange led by dobro player Billy Cardine, guitarist Anya Hinkle, and banjo…

A monochromatic rust-red album cover featuring a traditional Taiwanese opera costume adorned with intricate jeweled embroidery, framed by flowing fabric.

Album reviews

Sherwin Yang Recasts Taiwanese Opera Through Jazz, Folk Traditions, and Contemporary Song

Madison Quinn August 8, 2026 No Comments aDAN Ann Lin Chao-Tzu Chen Chou Chung-Ching contemporary jazz Dee Chen Hsu Huang I-Wen Jing Wu Jiro Yeh Ke Lee Liang-Yu Lin Liu Ming-Feng Patricio Penin Pei-Jen Po-Hao Po-Yu Poyu Hsu Ray Huang Sayun Chang Sherwin Yang Shih-Yu Si-Xuan Taiwanese music Taiwanese opera Tseng Tzu-Ying Victor Low Wang Wen-Wei world fusion world music Yoyi You Yu YuYing Hsu

Sherwin Yang (楊易修) — New Panorama of Taiwanese Opera 野臺語言》(self-release, 2026) Sherwin Yang’s New Panorama of Taiwanese Opera 野臺語言》 presents a contemporary interpretation of Taiwanese…

Los Cenzontles - Adios Ke Aloha cover artwork. The cover features a colorful, folk art–inspired illustration of a cowboy musician playing a guitar in a colorful rural landscape. Rolling green hills, a palm tree, a crescent moon, clouds, cattle, a white horse, and tropical flowers surround the central figure.

Album reviews

Los Cenzontles Reconnect Mexican and Hawaiian Musical Histories on ‘Adios Ke Aloha’

Angel Romero August 6, 2026 No Comments cowboy music Hawaiian music Los Cenzontles Mexican music son jarocho vaquero music world fusion world music

Los Cenzontles – Adios Ke Aloha (Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center, 2026) Mexican music collective Los Cenzontles have released Adios Ke Aloha: Waves of the…

Hilal Kaya - Sümbül cove artwork. A hedshot of Hilal with one hand on her head and the other holding her chin.

Album reviews

Hilal Kaya Reconstructs Anatolian Folk Traditions On Debut Album Sümbül

Tyler Bennet August 4, 2026 No Comments Hilal Kaya Turkish music world fusion world music

Hilal Kaya – Sümbül (CPL-Music, 2026) Turkish-Danish vocalist, songwriter, and composer Hilal Kaya will release her debut album, Sümbül, on August 28, 2026. The dazzling…

Various Artists — Global Riddims presents Beyond the Algorithm cover artwork. A collage-style album cover that features the oversized title “Beyond the Algorithm” along with the tagline “Compiled by Ears, Not Data.” A central globe, encircled by genres from around the world, sits between stacked speakers and a crowd.

Album reviews

Human Curation Takes Center Stage on Global Riddims’ Beyond the Algorithm Compilation

Iliana Cabrera August 3, 2026 No Comments Aboubacar Sylla Brazzmatazz Cazayoux Conjunto Media Luna Cucoma Combo David Bovée DJ Farrapo Fairfield Ethio-Jazz Project Forest Cazayoux Gil Badaró Gionni Dall'Orto Global Riddims Innocent Kimpe Ivan Krstić Macho Beta Orquestra Marco Zanotti MariJah Moonshine Horns Muyiwa Kunnuji Osemako Praktika Roel Poriau Sanne Werkers Sekvoya Sun To Sheeva Think of One Tomas De Smet Turbo Sonideros UFO Collective Unlisted Fanatic world fusion world music

Various Artists — Global Riddims presents Beyond the Algorithm (NYP Records, 2026) As streaming platforms continue to rely on recommendation algorithms, Beyond the Algorithm presents…

Bahar Movahed - Together Yet Alone cover artwork. A black and white portrairt photo of Bahar.

Album reviews

Bahar Movahed Returns With Together Yet Alone, A Cross-Continental Persian Classical Collaboration

Angel Romero August 2, 2026 No Comments Bahar Movahed Iranian music Navid Dehghan Persian music world music

Bahar Movahed – Together Yet Alone (Adhyropa Records, 2026) California-based Iranian vocalist Bahar Movahed has released Together Yet Alone. The project reunites Movahed with her…

Album reviews

Ancient Instruments Meet Electric Harp on Mübin Dünen and Raoul Moretti’s Anima Vibrante

Tyler Bennet July 30, 2026 No Comments Italian music Mübin Dünen Raoul Moretti Turkish music world fusion world music

Mübin Dünen and Raoul Moretti – Anima Vibrante (RM-DM, 2026) Kurdish musician Mübin Dünen and Italian-Swiss harpist Raoul Moretti have released Anima Vibrante, an album…