Tabu Ley Rochereau The Voice of Lightness (Stern’s Africa STCD3027-28, 2007) To call Congolese vocalist Tabu Ley Rochereau a legend doesn’t begin to cover it.…
Heavyweight Lightness
Category: Album reviews
Dominican Guitar Classics
Puerto Plata – Mujer de Cabaret (Iaso, 2007) Various Artists – Bachata Roja (Iaso, 2007) Iaso Records is releasing some of the most interesting music…
Wide Ranging India
I have compiled in this article several of the most interesting Indian or Indian-inspired CDs we have received at World Music Central. One of my…
Swahili Coast Update
Zanzibara, Vol. 3 – Ujamaa: The 1960s Sound of Tanzania (Buda Musique 860142, 2007) Zanzibara, Vol. 4 – Bi Kidude: The Diva of Zanzibari Music…
Myriad Faces of Tango
Three recent releases show very different aspects of Tango, the increasingly-popular musical style that came out of Argentina and Uruguay. Tango Bizarro Bizarre Tango comes…
Steelpan Wonder Boy
Jamani Party with Jamani (2007) Jamani is a tthirteen-year old steelpan master who grew up in a musical family. His father is the well-known Mighty…
American Indian Pow Wow Trails, Evocative Flutes and Harmonized Vocals
Pow Wow music is one of the most popular categories of Native American music. Tha Tribe is a group led by singer and songmaker Wayne…
Hula and Slack Key Melodies of Hawaii
Hawaiian singer Keali’i Reichel has two new recordings. The most attractive is the double album Collection One – Kamahiwa. Here, on disc two, Reichel is…
Visions of New Orleans
Two recent compilations are dedicated to the rich and influential musical traditions of New Orleans. Rounder Records has released a boxed set, City of Dreams,…
Spicy Bhangra
DJ Rekha Basement Bhangra (Koch Records, 2007) For Bhangra fans unable to attend New York’s monthly Basement Bhangra party at S.O.B.’s, DJ Rekha Presents Basement…