Cas Haley La Si Dah (Easy Star Records, 2013) It’s taken American singer-songwriter Cas Haley two years to put together this great album. Haley is…
Cas Haley’s Enduring Reggae and Soul
Category: Album reviews
Rough Guide to Brazil
Various Artists Rough Guide to Brazil (World Music Network) Fans of the Putumayo and Petrol Records compilations of world music would appreciate some of the…
Yungchen Lhamo & Anton Batagov’s Meditative Journey
Yungchen Lhamo & Anton Batagov Tayatha (Cantaloupe, 2013) Musicians are constantly surprising us with new collaborations and music combinations. In this case, famed Tibetan vocalist…
The Vibrant Beats of Apulia
Briganti di Terra d’Otranto Focu de paja (Italian World Music, 2009) Briganti di Terra d’Otranto is an exciting contemporary tarantella band from the Apulia region…
Indian Influence in Spice Groove
Various Artists Spice Groove (WorldWide Records, 2003) Legendary DJs like Ravin of The Buddhar Bar in Paris have put Indian sound firmly in the global…
Grinding a Few African Axes
Some musical instruments are unique to Africa, some Western instruments are derived from Africa and some instruments have seemingly nothing to do with Africa until…
Warsaw Village Band Explores the North
Warsaw Village Band Nord (JARO Medien, 2012) Warsaw Village Band, one of the finest contemporary folk music bands from Eastern Europe, explores the ancient connections…
Mundofonias’ The Ultimate Guide to Spanish Folk Music
Various Artists The Ultimate Guide to Spanish Folk (Arc Music, 2013) This compilation of Spanish folk music was put together by the Mundofonías team, Juan…
Rip Roaring Romp with The Blues
Trampled Under Foot Badlands (Telarc/Concord Music Group, 2013) Possessed with a juke joint soulfulness against a home town rock band sensibility, the rock/blues group Trampled…
Hipshaking Tambo
Al Santiago presents Tambo (Rykodisc, 1998) Al Santiago is one of the giants of salsa music, right up there with as a promoter and conductor…