Naragonia Quartet Batiska (Appel Rekords APR1336, 2011) Batiska is the first album by a new Belgian contemporary folk music ensemble called Naragonia Quartet. If the…
Batiska’s Fascinating Musical Expeditions
Category: Album reviews
Dabke Ravishment
Omar Souleyman Haflat Gharbia: The Western Concerts (Sublime Frequencies, 2011) Omar Souleyman’s Haflat Gharbia: The Western Concerts, out on the Sublime Frequencies label, is a…
Ten Years of Travels
Franca Masu 10 Anys (Aramúsica AR0052011, 2011) The new album by renowned Sardinian vocalist Franca Masu is titled 10 Anys and it celebrates 10 years…
Sublime Nuance
JeongGaAkHoe Gagok (Female) Pungnyu III (AkdangEban, 2011) Considered one of the most revered vocal styles of Jeongak or Korean court music and on part of…
On the Hunt
Sibiri Samake Dambe Foli (Kanaga System Krush, 2010) Bamana hunters music this is, and it’s important to keep in mind how highly regarded the donso…
Electric and Strikingly Sumptuous
Natacha Atlas Mounqaliba Rising – The Remixes (Six Degrees, 2011) Remix junkies rejoice because once you crack open the gorgeous exoticism of Natacha Atlas’s Mounqaliba…
An Embrace for the Whole Human Race
Nawal Embrace the Spirit (Milan M2-36551, 2011) I was, and remain, very fond of Nawal’s 2007 release Aman. Rooted in the traditional music of the…
Cumbia Lab
Frente Cumbiero Frente Cumbiero Meets Mad Professor (Vampisoul, 2011) Frente Cumbiero is one of the bands involved in the new cumbia scene in Colombia. It…
Reinvigorating Rwandan Roots
Mighty Popo Gakondo (Borealis Records BCD210, 2011) Rwandan guitarist and vocalist Popo Murigande (better known as Mighty Popo) is part of a thriving African blues…
Griot Heritage and Innovation
Sona Jobarteh Fasiya (West African Guild Records, 2011) Gambian musician and vocalist Sona Jobarteh is a pioneer in the world of kora playing. Until recently,…