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Review of Wahala Wahala

Wahala Wahala

KOG & the Zongo Brigade

Heavenly Sweetness

Rating: ★★★★

Wahala means ‘Problem’ or ‘Trouble’, but I had no problem enjoying this album. It is high-energy and punchy, as you'd...

Reviewed by Charlotte Algar in issue: May/2019

Review of Anamkhara

Anamkhara

Kelly Thoma

Seistron

Rating: ★★★★

Piraeus-born Cretan lyra player Kelly Thoma is a pupil of Ross Daly and a part of the diverse group of...

Reviewed by Simon Broughton in issue: Apr/May/2011

Review of Lam Klom Thung: Essential Phairin Phonphibun

Lam Klom Thung: Essential Phairin Phonphibun

Phairin Phonphibun

em records

Rating: ★★★★

Veteran bandleader, songwriter and producer Surin Paksiri has long been regarded as one of north-east Thailand's key musical figures. The...

Reviewed by John Clewley in issue: April/2016

Review of Exaltação

Exaltação

Marcos D Project

Quart de Luné

Rating: ★★★

If you're the sort of person who likes to know what they're getting into ahead of time then this is...

Reviewed by Brian Taylor in issue: March/2019

Review of Songhive: Beelore & Folksong in the British Isles

Songhive: Beelore & Folksong in the British Isles

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Songhive

Rating: ★★★★

Folk music often has a special relationship with the native flora and fauna of the land from which it springs....

Reviewed by Nathaniel Handy in issue: October/2018

Review of Makaya

Makaya

Wesli

WUP

Rating: ★★★★

Does this ring any bells: “The fourth track, also in twoubadou style but merging into a faster kompa, [showcases] Wesli’s...

Reviewed by Philip Sweeney in issue: April/2026

Review of Al Andalus

Al Andalus

Gregorio Paniagua

Harmonia Mundi/Musique d’Abord HMA 195389

Rating: ★★

This is a strange and frustrating disc. It’s a digital remastering of an analogue recording first issued more than 30...

Reviewed by Dennis Marks in issue: July/2010

Review of Swilkie

Swilkie

Iona Lane

Iona Lane

Rating: ★★

The Swilkie is a dangerous whirlpool between Orkney and the Scottish mainland. It’s where, according to Icelandic legend, the salt...

Reviewed by Julian May in issue: July/2025

Review of Modiehi

Modiehi

Marumo

Mr Bongo

Rating: ★★

A track by the South African quartet Marumo featured on the 2018 compilation album Mr Bongo Record Club Volume Three...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: May/2020

Review of 137 Avenue Kaniama

137 Avenue Kaniama

Baloji

Bella Union

Rating: ★★★★

Musician, poet and filmmaker Baloji was born to a Belgian father and Congolese mother in Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic...

Reviewed by Martin Sinnock in issue: March/2019

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