Raúl Rodríguez Razón de Son (Fol Musica, 2014) We expect a lot out of music. We expect it to entertain us, to dazzle us, to…
The Captivating Real and Imagined Path of Flamenco
Category: Album reviews
Splendid Ambient World Music
Drum Dynasty Mystic Sunrise / Dark Continent (Katavi, 2009) Drum Dynasty takes you to a world where world music, global electronica, new age and ambient…
So Many Ways to Get Your African Groove On
A jazz musician friend of mine once told me that he didn’t like African music because he found it unsophisticated. From that statement, I could…
Lo’Jo’s Swirl of Exoticism
Lo’Jo 310 Lunes (World Village, 2014) The World Village release 310 Lunes by Lo’Jo is a carnival of sound with all the swirl of exoticism,…
Acoustic Jeli Beauty from Kassé Mady Diabaté
Kassé Mady Diabaté Kiriké (Six Degrees/ No Format!, 2015) Malian jeli (griot) artist Kassé Mady Diabaté has one of the finest voices in West Africa.…
Magnetic Tunji Oyelana Retrospective
Tunji Oyelana A Nigerian Retrospective 1966 – 79 (Soundway SNDW 043CD, 2012) The Soundway label is doing an extraordinary job at rediscovering some of the…
Ville Leppänen, Rising Steel Guitar Hero
Southpaw Steel ‘n’ Twang Hale’s Pleasure Railway (Bafe’s Factory, 2014) Finnish guitar virtuoso Ville Leppänen has captured perfectly the essence of American roots music on…
Peppino D’Agostino Releases an Essential Acoustic Guitar Album
Peppino D’Agostino Penumbra (independent, 2014) On Penumbra, Italian guitarist Peppino D’Agostino presents a collection of solo guitar featuring a wide-range of musical influences and techniques.…
Laid Back Café del Mundo
Various Artists Café del Mundo (Putumayo World Music, 2014) The concept behind Putmayo’s Café del Mundo compilation is to provide a set of relaxing songs…
Splendid Young Voices from Kenya
Moipei Quartet In the Land of the Lion (ARC Music EUCD2455, 2013) Kenyan vocal ensemble Moipei Quartet dedicates In the Land of the Lion to…