Category: Album reviews

Bat Makumba Boteco (Bat Makumba Records 665744 10052-4) San Francisco-based Bat Makumba (named after a Caetano Veloso song) here follow up their debut with another…

Youssoupha Sidibe Xelcom (Self-released, 2008) Senegal’s Youssoupha Sidibe has played his kora (21-stringed West African harp) alongside artists as varied as Matisyahu, Bela Fleck, India…

Juaneco y su Combo Masters of Chicha Vol. 1 (Barbes Records BROO20, 2008) The 2007 compilation Roots of Chicha brought long-overdue wider recognition to a…

XKollective Electric Flowers (Flexitrax, 2008) To get an idea of the sound of British trance outfit XKollective, think of a combination of South Asian fusionist…

The exploration of Sephardic music is taking musicians in new directions. US-based Gerard Edery’s latest recording is a fascinating collaboration with Lithuanian singer Maria Krupoves,…

Jill Turner discovers some gems in the cleverly crafted Putumayo compilation, Acoustic Arabia but remains confused by its title. Choosing to stay  mainly, to the…

Various Artists Sound of the World Presents Beyond the Horizon (Warner Classics and Jazz 5144288632, 2008) It’s always a pleasure to see and hear what…

Chopteeth Chopteeth (Grigri Discs GRIGRI001, 2008) An “Afrofunk Big Band” is how this Washington D.C.-based collective refer to themselves and that label alone was enough…

Quite a few guitar albums make it to World Music Central’s inbox. I need to begin with one of the most pleasant guitar surprises I’ve…