Nahini Doumbia & Les Espoirs Du Mali Percussion and Songs from Mali (Arc EUCD2245, 2009) On the CD Percussion and Songs from Mali, Nahini Doumbia…
Drumming Across Mali
Category: Album reviews
Nu-Bossa Discoveries
Various Artists I Love Bossa Nova (Afro:Baile Records) One of Brazil’s most popular music exports, Bossa Nova, is now over 50 years old. Although there…
Bombay Dub Orchestra’s 3 Cities Takes on a New Personality
Bombay Dub Orchestra 3 Cities in Dub (Six Degrees, 2009) Several months back I reviewed Bombay Dub Orchestra’s 3 Cities. Now Bombay Dub Orchestra’s composers…
In Passing
Kenyatta “Culture” Hill Pass the Torch (Tafari Records 1046, 2007) The sudden 2006 death of Joseph Hill, leader of roots reggae harmony trio Culture, robbed…
Rekindled Ska Fire
Blue Riddim Ska Inferno (Markosa Records 2010, 2009) The idea of a white reggae band is one that would raise no eyebrows nowadays, but such…
Dazzling Fula Musical Ride
Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba I Speak Fula (Sub Pop/Next Ambiance, 2010) Riding high on the success of 2007’s Segu Blue and his upcoming U.S.…
Taking Tanzania’s Temperature
Various Artists Zanzibara, Vol. 5: Hot in Dar – Le Son de la Tanzanie 1978-1983 (Buda Musique 860184, 2009) During the late ‘70s and early…
Tuareg Footsteps
Various Artists Footsteps in Africa: A Nomadic Journey (Kiahkeya, 2009) Footsteps in Africa: A Nomadic Journey is the soundtrack to a documentary film by director…
Bringing Ethiopian Grooves to the Rest of the World
Tommy T The Prester John Sessions (Easy Star Records, 2009) The Prester John Sessions is the debut album of Tommy T, one of the most…
Preserving the Essence of Zanzibar
Culture Musical Club Shime! (World Village, 2009) The first thing that you’ll notice when you see Culture Musical Club’s photos in the CD booklet is…