Putumayo Presents South Africa (Putumayo PUT 301-2, 2010) Next Stop… Soweto: Township Sounds From The Golden Age Of Mbaqanga (Strut STRUT054CD, 2010) Next Stop… Soweto…
South Africa As Is and As It Was
Category: Album reviews
Still Making a Difference
Salif Keita – La Différence (Emarcy Records/Decca, 2010) Mali has given the world so many great musicians that it’s difficult to point out one who…
Persian Pulses
Ramin Rahimi & Friends The Pulse of Persia: Iranian Rhythms – Global Influences (ARC Music, 2010) All right all you percussion junkies, Ramin Rahimi has…
Curacaoan Expressions
Oswin Chin Behilia Liber (Otrabanda Records, 2010) Oswin Chin Behilia’s Liber is bright and breezy as a warm Caribbean breeze and utterly effervescent as a…
Refreshing Tiki Exotica
The Waitiki 7 New Sounds of Exotica (Pass Out Records, 2010) On their latest recording, New Sounds of Exotica, The Waitiki 7 masterfully recreate the…
From the Heart of the Are’are
The Narasirato Pan Pipers Solomon Islands: Cry of the Ancestors (Arc Music EUCD 2147, 2008) The Narasirato Pan Pipers is a group of Are’are musicians…
Buenos Aires Essence
Acho Estol Buenosaurios (Galileo Music GMC034, 2010) A new wave of musicians and songwriters has been revitalizing tango in recent years. Acho Estol is a…
Gumatj Beauty
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Gurrumul (Dramatico/Skinnyfish DRAMCD0054, 2008) One of the most fascinating discoveries in recent weeks is the album by Australian singer Gurrumul. He is…
Sierra Maestros
Sierra Maestra Sonando Ya (Word Village, 2010) The new album by seminal Cuban band Sierra Maestra, Sonando Ya, leaves the old Cuban songbook and focuses…
Charmed Sweetness of Africa
Lokua Kanza Nkolo (World Village, 2010) World Village has an uncanny knack for finding the hottest tickets in world music and Nkolo, the latest recording…