Album reviews | World Music Central

The album cover for Áššu – Luohteniegut features stylized silhouettes of reindeer and antlers in red, white, and blue, radiating outward in a circular pattern against a dark teal background. The typography is clean and centered, with the artists’ names—Ulla Pirttijärvi, Kenneth Ekornes, and Olav Torget—listed discreetly in the lower right corner.

Album reviews

Áššu Rekindles Sámi Fire on Luohtenlegut

Áššu – Luoteniegut (Nordic Notes / CPL-Musicgroup, 2025) Áššu, the trio led by veteran Finnish Sámi singer Ulla Pirttijärvi, intertwines traditional joik with contemporary sounds…

Sister Sadie - All Will Be Well cover artwork. A photo of the band.

Album reviews

Sister Sadie Mix Bluegrass and ’90s Twang on All Will Be Well

Ryan Emmert June 29, 2025 No Comments Bluegrass country music Sister Sadie world music

Sister Sadie – All Will Be Well (Mountain Home Music, 2025) Bluegrass group Sister Sadie returns with All Will Be Well, a new full-length album…

Various Artists – Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young, Vol. 1. Cover design. An illustration of a daisy.

Album reviews

Young at Heart: All-Star Tribute Album Strikes Gold

Ryan Emmert June 27, 2025 No Comments folk-rock Neil Young world music

Various Artists – Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young, Vol. 1 (Curios, 2025) A diverse lineup of artists pays tribute to Neil Young…

The album cover for Sefarad en el Corazón de Bulgaria by Mara Aranda features a classical-style painting of a young woman reclining on a richly decorated couch, dressed in traditional garments. She holds a darbuka (goblet drum) in her lap. The title and artist’s name are elegantly overlaid in white serif and cursive fonts.

Album reviews

Balkan Beats and Sephardic Streets: Mara Aranda Maps a Forgotten Musical Legacy

Angel Romero June 27, 2025 No Comments Bulgarian music Mara Aranda Sephardic music Spanish music world music

Mara Aranda – Geografías de la Diáspora Vol. IV: Sefarad en el Corazón de Bulgaria (self-release, 2025) In the fourth installment of her five-part series…

The album cover features a folkloric design with a central tribal mask flanked by two trumpets. Above, the artist name “Haris Pilton” and band “Balkan Voodoo Orchestra” appear in distressed white lettering on a dark red and black floral border. The bottom reads “Soon In Your Village” in the same vintage font. The artwork mixes Balkan textile motifs with voodoo iconography in a red, black, and cream palette.

Album reviews

Brassed Off the Map: Balkan Voodoo Orchestra Rewrites the Rules

JGurski June 25, 2025 No Comments Balkan music Gypsy music Haris Pilton & The Balkan Voodoo Orchestra world fusion world music

Haris Pilton & The Balkan Voodoo Orchestra – Soon in Your Village (Asphalt Tango Records, 2025) The Balkan Voodoo Orchestra is a genre-defying ensemble led…

The album cover for Remon Nakanishi's Hinanoiezuto features a soft, watercolor-style illustration of three traditionally dressed Japanese figures engaged in cheerful conversation. The art evokes a classical Edo-period aesthetic, with warm, earthy tones and expressive faces. The title is written vertically in playful blue hiragana, with the artist's name in smaller kanji beside it.

Album reviews

Remon Nakanishi’s Hinano Iezuto Rewrites the Japanese Folk Canon

Madison Quinn June 24, 2025 No Comments Japanese music Remon Nakanishi world music

Remon Nakanishi 中西レモン – Hinano Iezuto ひなのいえづと (DOYASA! Records, 2022) Remon Nakanishi ‘s Hinano Iezuto album’s title, drawn from an archaic Japanese phrase meaning “a…

Derya Türkan & Sokratis Sinopoulos - Soundplaces cover artwork. a photo of the two artists side by side, looking to the right, holding their musical instrument.

Album reviews

Soundplaces Weaves a Bowed Dialogue Across the Aegean

Tyler Bennet June 23, 2025 No Comments Greek music kamancha lyra Turkish music world fusion world music

Derya Türkan & Sokratis Sinopoulos – Soundplaces (Seyir Muzik, 2020) Soundplaces, the 2020 release by Derya Türkan and Sokratis Sinopoulos, offers a contemplative, transcultural conversation…

The album cover for Music from Macbeth by Gaelynn Lea features a central illustration of a lantern with a burning fire inside, set against a radiant red and pink background. The title is stylized in hand-drawn white lettering, with a Celtic-inspired border of thistles, skulls, and knotwork.

Album reviews

Gaelynn Lea’s Haunting Macbeth-Inspired Album Takes the Stage

Angel Romero June 21, 2025 No Comments Celtic music Gaelynn Lea world music

Gaelynn Lea – Music From Macbeth (self-released, 2025) Gaelynn Lea, the American violinist, composer, and disability rights advocate, rose to prominence after winning NPR Music’s…

The album cover for Contrasts by Marcos Valle features a close-up of the artist's face, partially obscured by concentric ripple-like lines in warm orange and cool blue tones. Wearing sunglasses and a white shirt, Valle appears on the left side, while the album title is positioned to the right in geometric fonts.

Album reviews

Marcos Valle’s Contrasts Returns Modern Bossa Nova in Style

Angel Romero June 20, 2025 No Comments Brazilian music Marcos Valle samba world music

Marcos Valle – Contrasts (Far Out Recordings, 2025 reissue) Originally released in 2003, Contrasts marked a pivotal moment in Marcos Valle’s late-career resurgence. It combined…

The album cover for Aventuremos La Vida by José de los Camarones features the artist mid-gesture, comb in hand, dressed in a dark three-piece suit with a pocket watch chain. Set against a black background, with golden serif text.

Album reviews

José de los Camarones Mixes Flamenco, Psychedelia, and Mysticism in Aventuremos la Vida

Iliana Cabrera June 19, 2025 No Comments Flamenco José de los Camarones world fusion world music

José de los Camarones – Aventuremos la vida (LB Discos, 2025) Following the release of the single of the same name, Aventuremos la Vida marks…