Some surprisingly authentic roots reggae has come my way from the unlikely locale of Sweden over the years, and the latest example of such is…
Remarkable Reggae by Babylon North
Category: Single reviews
Reviews of single recordings
Splendid Middle Eastern Fusion by Mixed World Ensemble
Israeli Guitarist Guy Gottesfeld and the aptly-named Mixed World Ensemble shine brilliantly on “Origins,” an exquisitely layered piece with Middle Eastern inflections, hypnotic wordless vocals…
Yeisy Rojas presents Sizzling Afro-Cuban Rhythms
Yeisy Rojas, a Cuban who relocated to Norway to earn a master’s degree in jazz violin, teaches a potent lesson of cultural respect with her…
Train to Roots Appeal for Peace
“Paxi (LKJ)” by Italian reggae band Train to Roots effectively cops the riddim and melody from dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson’s “Bass Culture” and turns…
Spirited Song by The Static Dive
Lounge-ready yet rather spunky, “Welcome to the Bluelight” is a Latin-flavored charmer by The Static Dive, which is the professional name of American instrumentalist Bob…
Laid Back “Mountain Dance”
You might think a tune called “Mountain Dance,” from the album Earth and Wind, is unfettered booty-shaking music, but it’s actually a layered, nuanced, very…
Tlapalería Don Chuy’s Outstanding Mix
Mixing jazz and R&B with an Afrobeat-like sense of syncopation, Mexico’s Tlapalería Don Chuy score big on all counts with “De Allí Pa’llá.”
Vini De Groove Skillfully Mixes Brazilian baião and chorinho Beats
“Cerrado Cigano” by American guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Vini De Groove brilliantly fuses Brazilian baião and chorinho rhythms. The artist has spent considerable time soaking up musical influences…
Wide-Raging Music by Marek Szarvas
A Slovakian by the name of Marek Szarvas comes on strong, albeit with a crafty sense of far-reaching global sounds on “Light Outside” a tune…
Enchanting “Je Rêve” by Duo Landry +
Duo Landry + hail from the African nation of Benin, and their song “Je Rêve” is an acoustic charmer with tasty jazz inflections.