Reviews of single recordings
PJ Far-West & Ras Mundele deliver longstanding reggae consciousness and a sound to match, bringing together Congolese, Belgian and (most resoundingly) Jamaican musical aesthetics on…
Deep roots Afro-Cuban drumming, reggae-tested effects, West African mallet percussion and chanted intonations combine to make ”Rumbadub” by Los Hermanos del Alma (a Cuban/Swiss collaboration)…
The often-overlooked Brazilian pagode sound gets a refresher courtesy of Rico Côrtes, whose “Quero Ter Replay” is a bright and bouncy example of why pagode…
Canada’s Talise has a wonderful touch on the clawhammer banjo, and she matches it with understated vocal beauty and weaving Appalachian fiddle tones on “Western…
Jamaican singer Mikha’el has some things to say via “Justice,” a thematically familiar reggae music topic delivered in a vocal style that’s equally vulnerable and…
“Pudesse Eu Voltar,” by Portuguese band Esfinge, delightfully combines the melancholy tones of fado music with a waltz-like tempo, Mediterranean overtones and perfectly entwined acoustic…
Australian singer Kattimoni is new to me, but the message of her tune “Planet United,” in which she teams up with chanter Buggy Nhakente, is…
I’m not familiar with many sitar masters from the United States (which is no one’s fault but my own), but Maxton Hunter certainly comes across…
Combining centuries-rooted West African sounds with those of likewise vintage Andalusia, a duo with the bulky name La Chica del Bosque Abarika World Music have…
Amidst the flood of samba and bossa nova that’s been released over the decades, Brazilian baião music is sometimes overlooked. Whether or not a singer…