A Nigerian called Tae mixes touches of Afropop and hip hop on “About Us.” The song itself could afford to groove much longer than it…
Tae’s Effective Afro-Rooted Grooves
Category: Single reviews
Reviews of single recordings
Classic Reggae from Luxembourg
Ah, Luxembourg, an epicenter of reggae music. No? I guess nobody told that to Le Vibe, whose track “Nobody Knows” handily echoes the classic Jamaican…
Substantial Reggae by Togo’s Yao Olagbedji
African reggae has always been a robust genre, and it gets an even bigger boost on “Sunday Morning” by Yao Olagbedji, who hails from Togo.
Adam Raad’s Soulful Reggae Reflections
His background is Lebanese/West African/Canadian, his song “Reminisce” is a powerful piece of heart-searching reggae, and Adam Raad has got my attention.
Portugal’s Retimbrar Unleashes a Fusion of Tradition and Innovation
Portugal’s Retimbrar takes their nation’s traditional music and lets it run through their own crisp compositions. “Maneio” (from the album Levantar do Chão) shows how…
Temidayo Balogun’s Enchanting Pan-African Jazz Journey
It may be his use of the talking drum that makes him sound at once the Nigerian he is, but the African jazz piece “Ìbà”…
PJ Far-west selecta Presents Spellbinding Roots Reggae
“Vybz It Up” is trance-jamming roots reggae with bits of electronic seasoning, an impressive piece of work for Belgium’s PJ Far-west selecta. The same artists’…
Maija’s Splendid Song “Lonely Old Man in the Moon”
Just so you know, the name of American singer Maija is pronounced “Maya.” And her splendidly jazzy “Lonely Old Man in the Moon” is a…
Jacques Bailhe Captivates the Imagination on “Desirs De La Basque”
Slow, mysterious and sonically adventurous, “Desirs De La Basque” by the U.S.’s Jacques Bailhe is a grabbing mixture of classical, Latin, and jazz sounds.
Superior Reggae Vibes by The Conscious Underground
The Conscious Underground, Canadian contenders in the global reggae arena, score a good vibe with “Shalom,” a well-placed plea for peace that’s ever welcome.