world music albums Archives

Album Review: Meridean Brothers & Conjunto Media Luna- Paz en la Terra

Nothing about the Meridean Brothers is as you would expect unless you are prepared for the unexpected. The name might suggest a collective but in the studio the ‘Brothers’ focal…

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Album Review: Amami- Soleil

‘Got to find a city, find myself a city to live in’ pleaded David Byrne a good while back- well if he’s still looking or fancies a change after his…

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Album review: José Mauro – ‘A Viagem Das Horas’: another unearthed Brazilian gem from Far Out Recordings

LOST albums create a mystique stoked by rumour, fandom and hype, waiting for the moment to surface and often for the bubble of expectation to burst. But some records emerge…

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Album review: Mdou Moctar – ‘Afrique Victime’: a coming together of the West African and western rock

MDOU MOCTAR is at last gathering momentum; but it’s been an epic journey since 2008, when his raw emotional guitar music first began to spread across West Africa via the…

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Album review: Kasai Allstars – ‘Black Ants Always Fly Together, One Bangle Makes No Sound’: maybe more restrained, but still surprises

SOMETIMES a record comes along that disrupts your expectations. Since their debut album in 2008, Kasai Allstars have been one of the cornerstones of Congotronics, that vibrant assemblage of polyrhythms…

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Album review: Toumani Diabate & The London Symphony Orchestra – ‘Korolen’: destined to become an audiophile’s classic

COLLABORATIONS between improvising musicians and orchestras sometimes reveal nothing but a culture clash. The performances can sound disjointed and fragmented, the musical equivalent of cut and paste. But when Toumani…

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Album Review: Serendip Quartet – Queen of Fire; a homage to the Women of Congo.

There is a need to begin this review with a direct quote from its band leader, saxophonist Arnaud Guichard : “This record is dedicated to all the victims of sexual…

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Album Review: Ngozi Family – ‘45,000 Volts’ (reissue)

At times it’s hard to keep tabs on the overflowing treasure chest of re-issues from the ever-giving seventies African rock and funk scenes. But here is one gem that shouldn’t…

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Album Review: Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul and Synth Boogie in 1980s South Africa

There was a time where music from the Africa fell under the catch-all phrase of “world music”. Despite trendsetters such as Fela Kuti creating such lavish works which to this…

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Album Review: Jay Vaquer- Canções de Exílio

If you look back at the charts of MTV Brazil’s famous ‘daily top 10 videos’ from about ten years ago(2000-2006), Jay Vaquer was present, bringing his own social criticisms through…

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