Rocky Dawuni Branches of the Same Tree (Cumbancha, 2015) Cumbancha made a great choice by signing Afro-Roots singer-songwriter. He’s a Los Angeles-based Ghanaian artist that…
Common Roots
Category: Album reviews
Chilled Out Mediterranean Music
Nicos Mediterraneo (Worldwide Records, 2011) This is an album for lovers of smooth ambient music. The 12 tracks provide for over an hour of chilled…
A Vector to Cameroonian Music
Ajoyo Ajoyo (Ropeadope RAD264, 2015) Ajoyo is a superb new Afro-rooted band. Their debut album Ajoyo is one of the finest recordings in this category…
A Celebration of Spain’s Musical Melting Pot
El Naan Codigo de Barros – An Iberian Roots Project (2014, international release: ARC Music EUCD 2566, 2014) This critic never tires of well-done musical…
Mainstream Alex Cuba
Alex Cuba Healer (Caracol Records, 2015) Alex Cuba’s Healer is another of those albums that gets marketed as world music. Instead, it’s a pop album…
Timeless Songs, Very Much Alive and Relevant
April Verch The Newpart (Slash Town Records, 2015) Canadian fiddler, vocalist, and stepdancer April Verch brings together a mix a North American and old world…
Man of Stone
Axel Krygier Hombre de Piedra (Crammed Discs Cram253P, 2015) This album by Argentine singer-songwriter is being marketed as world music. ‘Hombre de Piedra’ even appears…
Kings of American Reggae
John Brown’s Body Kings and Queens (Easy Star Records, 2013) Kings and Queens is a critically acclaimed modern reggae album by American band John Brown’s…
Fusion Closer to the Indian Classical Music Tradition
Ustad Sultan Khan, Jonas Hellborg, Faizal Qureshi World Music Friends Across Boundaries (Ninaad) This is a fusion album closer to the Indian classical music tradition,…
Music Goodies for St. Patrick’s Day 2015
St. Patrick, the revered 5th century saint, patron saint of Ireland and often thought to be the first bishop of Armagh, wasn’t Irish. According to…