Sharon Shannon – Live at Dolans (2006) and Renegade (2007) Two CDs by Sharon Shannon, the queen of Irish accordion music, are now out…
Accordion Groovemaster
Category: Album reviews
A Breath of Fresh Mongolian Grasslands
Hanggai – Introducing Hanggai (World Music Network, 2008) I’m always elated to hear a group of musicians rediscovering a lost or faded musical tradition, and…
Old, Gold and Still Bold
The Rough Guide to Calypso Gold (World Music Network RGNET 1213, 2008) I was okay with calypso morphing into soca back in the ‘80s, but…
Issa’s Musical Charms
Issa Bagayogo Mali Koura (Six Degrees, 2008) Fans who have been sadly staring into space awaiting Malian singer and n’goni player Issa Bagayogo‘s his next…
Good Golly Mali
The Rough Guide to the Music of Mali (World Music Network RGNET 1208, 2008) It’s been said numerous times and hardly bears repeating that Mali…
A Quibble-less Quebec Quickie
Putumayo Presents Quebec (Putumayo PUTU 279, 2008) I visited Quebec several times as a youngster with my Canadian father, and despite my tender years was…
Tracing the Aboriginal Songs’ Roots
Ungambikkula O Rastro do Canto (Azul, 2008) Brazilian band Ungambikkula embraces global culture and spirituality in its latest album, O Rastro do Canto. The large…
Fine China
Sa Dingding Alive (Wrasse Records WRASS 213, 2007) I’d be the most terrible of liars if I said I possessed anything resembling a comprehensive knowledge…
The Best of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys – Best of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys (Rounder Records, 2008) The double CD set of Best of…
Bewitched by Al Andalus
Luis Delgado As-Sirr (Nubenegra) For many years, Spanish multi-instrumentalist Luis Delgado has been researching the music of Medieval Muslim Spain. He has recorded and composed…