Tinariwen Imidiwan: Companions (World Village) The desert blues men and women of Tinariwen are back with their latest CD Imidiwan: Companions, set for release October…
Tinariwen’s Desert Blues, a Force of Nature
Category: Album reviews
Vital DVD Ouled Bambara: Portraits of Gnawa
Ouled Bambara: Portraits of Gnawa (Twos & Fews, 2009) The CD and DVD set Ouled Bambara: Portraits of Gnawa reveals the creatively rich lives and…
Funky Tejanos
Brownout Aguilas and Cobras (Six Degrees, 2009) In Austin (Texas) there is a thriving musical scene that includes musicians who are taking Hispanic Texan music…
Afrobeat Explorers Aphrodesia Release Precious Commodity
Aphrodesia Precious Commodity (Shackrobeat Records, 2009) Precious Commodity, the latest recording by Aphrodesia takes American Afrobeat into exciting new explorations. While the Afrobeat rhythms, powerful…
Back to the Mountain
Eddie Palmieri Vamonos Pa’l Monte (Fania, 2009) Vamonos pa’l Monte (Let’s go to the Mountain) is the reissue of a fabulous recording by Eddie Palmieri,…
Umami by Murat Ses
Murat Ses Umami (Clou Records Clou-008 and on digital portals iTunes, aol.de, etc) ’Umami’ is a Japanese word meaning "savory" thus applies to the sensation…
Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae
Various Artists Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae (Moll-Selekta, 2009) The idea of a Buena Vista Social Club-style reunion of reggae legends is so screamingly obvious,…
Khaled’s Electrifying Vibrancy
Khaled Liberté (Wrasse Records) Khaled, the King of Raï, is back with an emotional explosive collection of songs. Liberté, set for release on August 25…
Piranha Remixed
Dunkelbunt Raindrops and Elephants: Piranha Re: Interpretations (Piranha, 2009) German DJ and remixer Dunkelbunt (Ulf Lindemann) was asked by Berlin-based Piranha Records to remix some…
Latvia’s Shortest Night
Iļģi Īsākās nakts dziesmas [Songs of the Shortest Night] (Platforma Music, 2009) You know what your problem is? You don’t have enough Latvian folk in…