Ustad Dildar Hussain Khan and Abrar Hussain Sur Sangeet (Kanaga System Krush Records, 2015) Ustad Dildar Hussain Khan is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and a current…
Modern Qawwali that lifts the Heart and the Spirit
Category: Album reviews
Forward-Retro Dub Reggae Remixes
Prince Fatty Vs. Mungo’s Hi Fi (Mr. Bongo, 2014) Two UK-based acts celebrate Jamaican reggae, dub and dancehall music on Prince Fatty Vs. Mungo’s Hi…
A Story of Love between the Iraqis and Music
Ahmed Mukhtar Babylonian Fingers (ARC Music, 2015) Premier oud player, composer and teacher Ahmed Mukhtar just isn’t content to dazzle listeners with his renditions of…
Global Soul of Southern Italian Trance Music
Ludovico Einaudi Taranta Project (Ponderosa Music & Art, 2015) The Italian conductor, composer and musician Ludovico Einaudi has created works like Stanze, Una Mattina and…
Sheer Loveliness of Mahsa Vahdat
Mahsa Vahdat Traces of an Old Vineyard (Kirkelig Kulturverksted/Valley Media, 2015) I confess an affinity to hear real female vocals, not those digitally enhanced vocals…
Wildly Fresh Los Crema Paraiso
Los Crema Paraiso De Pelicula! (Cultupra Productions, 2015) Good music, mediocre music and sometimes very bad music flows across my desk, but I’m rarely ever…
Keen Edged Coolness
Esko Järvelä Epic Male Band Rye Groove (Esko Järvelä Epic Male Band, 2015) The Finnish progressive/rock/folk group Esko Järvelä Epic Male Band is back with…
High-octane Ameranouche
Ameranouche Sun Shine Soul (Red Squirrel Records, 2015) The fiercely polished sound of the Boston-based trio Ameranouche’s May 1st release of Sun Shine Soul is…
Ancient Armenian Liturgical Chants from Aleppo
Yeznig Zegchanian Forty Martyrs: Armenian Chants from Aleppo (Lost Origin Sound, 2015) The ancient city of Aleppo in Syria was one of the cultural centers…
Splendid Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention Myths and Heroes (Matty Grooves, 2015) Fairport Convention, one of the pioneers of English folk-rock is still strong after several decades. The current…