Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Best Albums 2020: Africa
All of these albums received a maximum of five stars when reviewed in the 2020 issues of Songlines. Looking for your next favourite album? This is the perfect place to start.
Features
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Jambinai: definitely not K-Pop
David Hutcheon speaks to Jambinai, the South Korean band bravely exploring a middle ground between traditional music and heavy metal
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Blick Bassy: “This generation must defy imported culture and design their own role models and paths”
Daniel Brown speaks to Cameroonian musician and writer Blick Bassy about breaking the silence on France’s colonialist treatment towards his country’s independence heroes
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Bassekou Kouyaté: A Beginner's Guide
Simultaneously innovating and upholding the traditions of the ngoni, Bassekou Kouyaté is a name synonymous with his instrument’s modern sound. Nigel Williamson rounds up his sparkling career
Monday, December 7, 2020
The 10 Best Folk Albums of 2020
Tim Cumming looks back over the best folk albums reviewed in Songlines in 2020, which have sustained us through this locked down year
Friday, November 27, 2020
Top 10 Albums of 2020
Here are 10 of our favourite albums from the past 12 months, including releases from Sam Lee, Cocanha, Afel Bocoum, Siti Muharam, Damir Imamović and more...
Monday, November 23, 2020
Introducing María José Llergo: “What we now call tradition was a revolution in its own time”
The young Spanish flamenco singer tells Gonçalo Frota how tradition and contemporaneity come together in her music. Photographs by Miguel Triano
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Zoë Modiga interview: South Africa’s new voice on language, identity and #BLM
A deft exploration of identity, Zoë Modiga’s latest album proves the South African is on the up. She speaks with Jane Cornwell about topics ranging from Black Lives Matter to the cultural importance of cattle in African society
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Malian Guitarists: The Essential 10
While guitarist Afel Bocoum steps out of Ali Farka Touré’s shadow and into the spotlight with his latest release Lindé, Nigel Williamson selects ten other excellent albums by Malian guitarists
Friday, October 23, 2020
AMMAR 808
The musician Sofyann Ben Youssef, aka AMMAR 808, travelled to southern India for his latest rhythm fuelled project. Tim Cumming speaks to him about the experience
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Rajery: A Beginner's Guide
Madagascar’s leading player of the bamboo tube zither, otherwise known as the valiha, has come a long way from coping with an early disability to touring international concert halls. Daniel Brown retells Rajery’s journey
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Mahsa Vahdat: A Beginner's Guide
One of Iran’s leading female singers has become world famous with her myriad collaborations. Laudan Nooshin pinpoints some of her career highlights to date
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Afel Bocoum interview: “By the time corona arrived we had already more than enough going on here in Mali”
A key figure in Ali Farka Touré’s band, Afel Bocoum is releasing a long-awaited and rare solo album that finds him stepping into the limelight. He talks to Bram Posthumus about living in exile in Bamako, the situation in Mali and his desire to reconnect with the world
Friday, October 9, 2020
Criolo interview: “The streets of Brazil are going to burn even more, but all we want is an end to suffering. We cannot take any more”
Brazilian artist Criolo gives his frank views on Brazilian society today and although the challenges for its future look daunting, he tells David Katz why he remains hopeful for his country
Friday, September 4, 2020
Aynur: Solace in Exile
The Kurdish singer Aynur Doğan has released her first solo album while living in exile in the Netherlands. She tells Robert Rigney her reasons for leaving Turkey and her mission to keep Kurdish songs alive
