Cape Verde’s Vindo Bodona captures the signature sweet/melancholy feel of his homeland’s music on “Dis Mois.”
Sodade State of Mind in Vindo Bodona’s “Dis Mois”
Category: Single reviews
Reviews of single recordings
LysJoy’s Winning Combination of Jazz and African Beats
Congolese by birth and a denizen of Belgium, singer LysJoy has a winner with “Molongani,” which blends jazz, subtle African rhythm and breeze-cool vocals.
Los Cenzontles Deliver Charming Son Jarocho Crossover Song “Matanga”
American collective Los Cenzontles will brighten your day with a fusion of Mexican and Cuban variations of son called “Matanga.”
Jono Heyes and Beehive’s Striking Alchemy of West African Beats with Euro jazz
Jono Heyes and Beehive, New Zealanders, create an astounding web of sound that crosses West African rhythms with Euro jazz on “For Toumani.”
Deeply Satisfying World Fusion by Eunice Keitan
“Cobalt Sea” by multinational singer Eunice Keitan is deeply engaging global fusion of the best kind, and its blend of marimba and gamelan is only…
Amelia Rivera Revisits Beloved “Los Aretes de la Luna” Bolero
Guatemalan vocalist Amelia Rivera does a jazzy cover of the much-loved Cuban bolero “Los Aretes de la Luna” that lacks nothing in authenticity or style.…
Trickster Is Still Kicking
A big, funky, layered sound makes “Still Kicking” by the U.K.’s Juergen Pichler (a.k.a. Trickster) a song to both dance to and give some serious…
Colorful Canadian-Estonian Reggae Vibes
Canadian/Estonian artist François Marius has another reggae winner with “Rasta Dance (Starry Night).” The Van Gogh-inspired color scheme of the video is likewise something to…
A rich Shout Out to the Orisha Ochún
Blessed with Afro-Cuban roots and based in Canada, a female duo called OKAN gives a melodically and rhythmically rich shout out to Oshun (an Orisha…
Ingenious Afrobeat Encounter with Reggae
America’s Well Grounded harnesses a minimal Afrobeat-meets-reggae groove to propel “Humble Me,” a tune of self-examination that’s dance worthy and lyrically wise.