Irish Dew Sance (Indies Records, 2005) Despite the name, this Celtic band is from the Czech Republic. Inspired by the music of the Emerald Isle,…
Celtic Czechs
Category: Album reviews
Hip Flamenco Billy
Mártires del Compás Sin Papeles (World Village) Mártires del Compás represents the hip contemporary urban sound of Seville, the capital of Andalucía (southern Spain). The…
Steamy Cuban Songs
Omara Portuondo Sentimiento (Escondida ESC 6516-2, 2005) Omara Portuondo is perhaps the most important living Cuban female singer. Sentimiento is a great introduction to her…
New Cuban Series Packs Only the Essentials
Ibrahim Ferrer – Ay, Candela (Escondida ESC 6513-2, 2005) Ruben Gonzalez – Momentos (Escondida ESC 6514-2, 2005) Omara Portuondo – Sentimiento (Escondida ESC 6516-2, 2005)…
The Saharawi Medej
Mariem Hassan, Jeirana, Faknash, Shueta and Nayim Medej (Nubenegra, 2004) Spain’s Nubenegra continues to explore the sounds of the Saharawi people. Sadly, most Saharawi musicians…
Re-check Your Pulse
Steel Pulse – True Democracy (Elektra/Rhino R2 79287, 2005) Steel Pulse – Earth Crisis (Elektra/Rhino R2 74687, 2005) These two albums, originally released in 1982…
A New Generation of Garifuna Drummers
Lebeha Boys Lebeha Drumming (innova 2009, 2005) In 2002, Garifuna drummer Jabbar Lambey and Canadian Dorothy Pettersen started the Lebeha Drumming Center. The school is…
Wild Polkas
Afenginn Retrograd (Tutl Shd67, 2004) Hailing from Denmark, Afengin do not play what you would expect from a Nordic country. Instead, the band plays breakneck…
Uzbekistandards
Ochilbek Matchonov Music From Central Asia: Uzbekistan on the Silk Road (ARC Music EUCD 1946, 2005) Music from the Silk Road regions and countries ending…
The New Fadistas
Ana Moura – Guarda-Me a Vida Na Mao (Universal Music Portugal, 2003/World Village, 2004) Fado music has been experiencing a renaissance in recent years.…