Saïd Chalaban – Jarama (Argana Records, 2023) Saïd Chalaban presents the Jarama EP connected to the 2018 documentary film “Échos du Sahara.” The making of…
Lily Neill & Vesa Norilo – Tales and Golden Histories (2023) Harp player Lily Neill and Cellist Vesa Norilo skillfully craft a beautiful set of…
“Hips and Brown Eyes” (from the album Straight No Cover) are clearly important attributes to American artist Hank Hensley, whose thusly named Latin jazz instrumental…
Hocine Benameur – Souk System (Hocine Benameur, 2023) Hocine Benameur’s Souk System album presents a distinctive fusion of electronic and North African and Middle Eastern…
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…
Antonio Gavrila – Tango Suite Buenos Aires (Zoho ZM 202309, 2023) The 27-year-old Bucharest-based Romanian pianist and composer Antonio Gavrila (Florin-Anton Gavrila) ventures into the…
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…
Erdem Oral – İz (Ahenk Music, 2023) Erdem Oral’s debut solo album is a musical journey spanning over two decades, featuring the melodies that have…
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.
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.