Album reviews – Page 30 – World Music Central

The album cover for Joku Raja Rakkaudessakin by Pauanne features a folkloric illustration of a two-headed, red-toned figure—half male, half female—set against a textured, patterned backdrop. Stylized birds, hearts, and silhouettes decorate their bodies.

Album reviews

Across the Boundaries of Love: Pauanne’s “Joku Raja Rakkaudessakin”

Pauanne – Joku Raja Rakkaudesakin (Nordic Notes / CPL-Musicgroup, 2025) As I first pressed play on a cool spring evening, the ghostly violin and kantele…

Album reviews

Anouar Brahem Reaching for the Sky

Angel Romero July 3, 2025 No Comments Anouar Brahem oud Tunisian music world fusion world jazz world music

Anouar Brahem – After The Last Sky (ECM, 2025) Eight years after Blue Maqams, Tunisian oud player and composer Anouar Brahem returns with After The…

The album cover for Desturi by Kasiva Mutua features the artist seated beside a traditional African drum in a desert landscape, framed by acacia trees. She wears Afrocentric attire—including a grass skirt, beaded jewelry, and an elaborate neckpiece.

Album reviews

Tradition with a Twist: Kasiva Mutua Reinvents Kenyan Beats

Angel Romero July 2, 2025 No Comments Kasiva Mutua Kenyan music percussion world music

Kasiva Mutua – Desturi (Delicious Tunes, 2025) Gifted Kenyan percussionist Kasiva Mutua makes a striking debut as a solo artist with Desturi, an outstanding album…

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

Tyler Bennet June 30, 2025 No Comments Áššu Finnish music joik Sami music world music

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…