Lô And Behold: Maame, a DYI Effort
Cheikh Lô – Maame (World Circuit, 2025) A decade has passed since Cheikh Lô last offered a studio album, and Maame feels like a homecoming…
Córdoba Ignites with Passion as Flamenco Contest Reveals 2025 Finalists
Spain’s prestigious Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco (CNAF) has announced the twelve finalists competing in its 24th edition, aiming to claim the coveted Premios Nacionales…
The Last Poets’ Africanism Spins Back On Vinyl
The Last Poets – Africanism (Africa Seven, 2024/2025 vinyl reissue) The Last Poets have reissued Africanism on vinyl. This formidable recording brings together spoken word…
Don Arbor’s ‘Hope Is Hard To Kill’ Enlists Stef Burns And Mads Tolling
Don Arbor – Hope is Hard To Kill (self-release, 2025) San Francisco Bay Area singer-songwriter Don Arbor will release Hope Is Hard To Kill on…
New Voices for Ancient Prayer, Manizeh Unveils ‘Ashem Vohu’
Manizeh has released “Ashem Vohu,” a new single featuring ganavya, ahead of her debut album Mahku. The track draws on a 3,000-year-old Zoroastrian prayer, sung…
Dual South American Sizzle
Should you be in need of a pulsating, exhilarating mix of Brazilian forró and Colombian cumbia, “Anunciaçǎo” by the USA’s big beet will handily satisfy…
Javier Colina: Bass Lines Between Jazz And Flamenco
(headline image: Javier Colina – Photo by Igor Cortadellas) Born in Pamplona, Spain, on December 2, 1960, Javier Colina ranks among Spain’s most widely respected…
Irish Band Aldoc Drops “Koboko” Single
Aldoc released the new single “Koboko” on November 7. Later this month, the band will celebrate a headline launch at Whelan’s, Dublin, on Sunday, November…
Desert Grooves and Electrifying Energy : Noura Mint Seymali’s Yenbett
Noura Mint Seymali – Yenbett (Glitterbeat Records, 2025) Visionary Mauritanian vocalist and ardin player Noura Mint Seymali returns with Yenbett. The album opens with two…
Tenzin Choegyal Unveils Be The Sky: a Call Toward Renewal, Courage, and Harmony
Tenzin Choegyal – Be The Sky (2025) Tibetan-Australian artist Tenzin Choegyal is set to release his new album Be The Sky (ནམ་མཁའ་རང་གི་ངང་དུ་ཞོག།) in Australia on…
Quite Cool
Puerto Rican-born and currently based in Ohio, guitarist Victor Samalot shows some expert chops of both the mellow and soaring kind throughout “Que Chilero,” a…