Reviews
The Dance She Spoke
Duende Libre's third album, The Dance She Spoke, finds the band's founders – pianist Alex Chadsey, drummer Jeff ‘Bongo’ Busch...
Reviewed by Catalina Maria Johnson in issue: Aug/Sept/2020
Live at the Tabernacle
It's been ten years since the exquisite debut album by the British-born Palestinian singer and we really shouldn’t have had...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: May/2016
In the Magic Hour
Regular Songlines readers will need little introduction to Massachusetts-born singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan. Her exploits as soloist and collaborator with the...
Reviewed by Doug Deloach in issue: March/2016
As the Crow Flies
The old-time music trio known as Sheesham & Lotus & ‘Son are well known for their dusty and antiquated sound,...
Reviewed by Matt Milton in issue: May/2019
Dawâr: The Universal Rhythm
Trio Chemirani are an impressive percussive force, comprising Djamchid Chemirani and his sons Keyvan and Bijan. Although they are based...
Reviewed by Simon Broughton in issue: June/2015
The Colours of Rubab
This is a stunning showcase of the Pakistani rubab (lute). It is played here by Gulab Afridi, a celebrated folk...
Reviewed by Alexandra Petropoulos in issue: August/September/2023
Take to the Streets
Afrobeat creeps into so many heterogeneous mixes today that it’s refreshing to hear an unadulterated version. Conceived during the destabilising...
Reviewed by Mark Sampson in issue: December/2023
Live in the Khaleej!
Ghazi Faisal Al-Mulaifi & Boom.Diwan with Arturo O’Farrill
This project is inspired by Al-Mulaifi’s grandfather, one of the last of a generation of Kuwaiti master pearl divers, and...
Reviewed by Tom Spargo in issue: May/2025
Kabwlú
Legendary Medellin record label Discos Fuentes is not known for its novelty releases, but Kabwlú, a hard-to-find 1965 album, is...
Reviewed by Chris Moss in issue: November/2020
Horns of Freedom
It’s hard to think of a time when Afrobeat was so in vogue. New Fela Kuti reissues are a monthly...
Reviewed by Russ Slater in issue: March/2014
