Sunday, January 1, 2023
The 10 Best New Albums from Around the World (January/February 2023)
Outstanding releases from Gaye Su Akyol, Ngulmiya, Lady Maisery, Adédèjì and more
All of these albums are reviewed in the January/February 2023 issue of Songlines, with one track from each album included on the cover-CD with the March issue. Never miss an issue – subscribe today
1
Gaye Su Akyol
Anadolu Ejderi Glitterbeat Records
'On Anadolu Ejderi (Anatolian Dragons) past and present collide beguilingly as Gaye Su Akyol hitches a ride on the Anatolian wagon with an opening title-track setting high expectations via bold synth flash, fierce drum roll, punchy guitar lines and haunting refrain.' Robert Rigney
2
La Perla
Callejera Mambo Negro Records
'After a stellar series of singles and EPs dating back to 2017, including their feminist anthem ‘Guayabo’, the all-female trio have finally unleashed their first long-player and it does not disappoint.' Russ Slater
3
Ngulmiya
Ngulmiya Bapa Gajah
'This astonishing album confirms Ngulmiya as the purest, strongest and most impressive Australian Indigenous voice that we’ve heard since Gurrumul.' Seth Jordan
4
Ghalia Benali, Constantinople & Kiya Tabassian
In the Footsteps of Rumi Constantinople/Note 1 Music
'As always with Constantinople, the instrumental playing is outstanding with plucked setar (Kiya Tabassian), oud and kanun, bowed kemençe and some powerful percussion. It’s just drums that drive the vocals in ‘Fatwa for Love’. Most songs begin with a substantial mood-setting instrumental and ‘Mawlay’ (My Lord), the standout track, is a thrilling ride of rhythmic intensity.' Simon Broughton
5
Balka Sound
Balka Sound Strut Records
'Balka Sound eventually broke up during the civil war of the 90s, but its members were involved in assembling this revelatory collection, which is smartly presented, complete with band history, archive photos and a track-by-track commentary.' Nigel Williamson
6
Joseph Decosimo
While You Were Slumbering Sleepy Cat Records
'Expert fiddler and banjoist and scholar of southern Appalachian music, Tennessee native Joseph Decosimo bears the legacy of the Cumberland Plateau’s masters who taught him how to play and sing the deepest cuts in the repertoire – and make them his own.' Doug DeLoach
7
Lady Maisery
Tender Lady Maisery
'Lady Maisery’s new album is a musical and lyrical exploration of the ambiguities of its one word title, tender. Hazel Askew, Hannah James and Rowan Rheingans sing, in gorgeous harmony, and play banjo, fiddle and squeezeboxes in a manner far from being soft, but with power and intensity.' Julian May
8
Adédèjì
Yoruba Odyssey One World Records
'A fizzing set of progressive jazz-funk simmering with classic Afrobeat and Yoruba tropes in tight but expansive arrangements with lyrics in Yoruba, English and Pidgin full of traditional riddles and proverbs.' Nigel Williamson
9
Siskin Quartet
Flight Paths Eighth Nerve Audio
'Siskin Quartet are a melding together of two remarkable duos. English-born fiddler Bridget Marsden and accordionist Leif Ottosson – outstanding proponents of Swedish folk – are joined with Scottish-Finnish-Norwegian duo Sarah-Jane Summers (fiddle) and Juhani Silvola (guitar), whose succession of dazzling albums have all been Top of the World choices.' Tony Gillam
10
Burd Ellen
A Tarot of the Green Wood Mavis Recordings
'The seven songs on this third studio album from Burd Ellen, the Glasgow-based project featuring Debbie Armour and Gayle Brogan, came together during the duo’s 2021 residency at Sage Gateshead. Indeed, keen-eared listeners may hear the distinctive sound of Tyneside’s urban kittiwakes in the latter half of ‘The Lovers’ (all tracks are named after cards in a tarot deck).' Peter Quinn
