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Staran Gold From Ruins. The cover presents an abstract landscape with muted beige, gray, and gold tones. Two white rectangular shapes and a small red square sit near the center, while circular forms hover around the edges. A lone, dark human figure stands atop a pale ridge in the upper right. The titles Gold From Ruins and Staran appear in white text.

Staran Launch New Album Gold From Ruins

Scottish ensemble Staran return with Gold From Ruins, a new release built around original compositions and reimagined fragments of Gaelic song. The group focuses on…

An illustrated landscape shows a lush forest opening to a stream and waterfall, framed by geometric Art Deco borders. A glowing sun sets behind distant mountains, while a lone figure beside a turntable listens by the water. Pastel typography centers the title “Love Garden” with “Double Tiger” beneath.

Music videos

Love In Bloom – Double Tiger Grows New “Love Garden” Single

World Music Central News Room December 19, 2025 No Comments Double Tiger Reggae world music

Jay Spaker, known as Double Tiger, returns with a new single, “Love Garden,” out November 21 via Easy Star Records. The track includes an official…

Album reviews

Cory Henry Releases Soulful and Funk-Fueled ‘A Wonderful Holiday’

Angel Romero December 18, 2025 No Comments Cory Henry funk gospel jazz-funk neosoul soul world music

Cory Henry — A Wonderful Holiday (2025) Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter Cory Henry has released A Wonderful Holiday, a six-song collection of original Christmas…

The album cover for Maame by Cheikh Lô shows the artist seated with a guitar, smiling as he plays. He wears a wide-brimmed hat and patterned robe, set against a surreal desert landscape with red sand, rocky formations, a barren tree, and a glowing full moon in a starry night sky. The design combines earthy tones with cosmic blues and purples.

Album reviews

Lô And Behold: Maame, a DYI Effort

Madison Quinn December 17, 2025 No Comments Cheikh Lô world music

Cheikh Lô – Maame (World Circuit, 2025) A decade has passed since Cheikh Lô last offered a studio album, and Maame feels like a homecoming…

Mari Boine; Elena Ledda; Wu Man; Gao Hong; and Hariprasad Chaurasia

Awards

Transglobal World Music Hall of Fame Reveals 2025 Inductees

World Music Central News Room December 16, 2025 No Comments Alan Lomax Archive Amitava Bhattacharya Aurelio Martinez Banglanatak Benjamin Escoriza Eddie Palmieri Elena Ledda Flaco Jiménez Gao Hong globalFEST Hariprasad Chaurasia Mari Boine The Association for Cultural Equity Transglobal World Music Hall of Fame world fusion world music Wu Man Zulya Kamalova

Transglobal World Music Hall of Fame has announced the 2025 inductees in its three categories: Artists, In Memoriam and Professional Excellence. Artists The inductees in…

Winston McAnuff bubble cover artwork. A colorful cover with blue and orange bubbles.

Music videos Single reviews

Effervescent Reggae

Tom Orr December 16, 2025 No Comments Reggae Winston McAnuff world music

Veteran Jamaican singer Winston McAnuff always comes up with ways to keep reggae music fresh. His song “Bubble” (referring to the kind we all need…

A dark screen with scan lines and digital noise. Glowing blue-yellow text reads “Gregory Isaacs” at the top and “Love Without Intermission” in italicized lettering at center, with playback symbols and a zeroed timecode.

Music videos

Cool Ruler Meets Keyboard King On ‘Love Without Intermission’

World Music Central News Room December 15, 2025 No Comments Gregory Isaacs lover's rock Reggae world music

Gregory Isaacs’ single “Love Without Intermission” from the Skengdon archives is now available as a digital release. The song features Isaacs with keyboardist Jackie Mittoo.…

Roger Glenn - My Latin Heart cover artwork. an illustration of Roger playing flute.

Album reviews

Roger Glenn Returns With My Latin Heart with Vibes, Flute, And Fire

Iliana Cabrera December 15, 2025 No Comments Latin jazz world music

Roger Glenn – My Latin Heart (Patois Records, 2025) Veteran multi-instrumentalist and composer Roger Glenn released My Latin Heart in 2025, his first new album…

Collage. Photo credits: Ángeles Toledano: © Marina Rodriguez; Brian Prunka: Aidan Grant; Hamza Akram Qawwal: Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi; Vasilis Kostas: Yannis Psathas; Amir Nojan & Pejman Hadadi: Mehdi Rostami

Events

Spring 2026 World Music Picks: Flamenco, Qawwali, And More In NYC

World Music Central News Room December 15, 2025 No Comments Flamenco Robert Browning Associates world fusion world music

Robert Browning Associates has announced its March–May 2026 preview at Roulette, marking 49 years of presenting world music and dance events in New York City.…

The cover for Scarrow by Salt House presents a weathered landscape where blurred streaks of blue, gold, and brown drift across the frame like layered horizons. A dark, low ridge anchors the bottom edge, and a small white animal silhouette stands near the corner.

Album reviews

Salt House Gently Glow On Scarrow, Their New Folk Beacon

Angel Romero December 14, 2025 No Comments Andy Bell Anna Hughes Ben Nicholls English Folk music Ewan MacPherson Jenny Sturgeon Magnus Lundmark Salt House world music

Salt House – Scarrow (Hudson Records, 2025) The outstanding English folk trio Salt House return in 2025 with Scarrow, their fifth studio album for Hudson…