Reviews
The Art of Mandolin
First things first: Simon Mayor is an extraordinarily talented mandolin player. He is clearly a little obsessed: the CD booklet...
Reviewed by Matthew Milton in issue: July/2014
Evolutsiya! 40 Best and Rarest 1991-2016
This double album marks the 25th anniversary of the intriguing phenomenon known as The Ukrainians. The band formed almost by...
Reviewed by Simon Broughton in issue: November/2016
The Best Boleros from the Costa Chica
The ‘Costa Chica’, or ‘little coast’, is the stretch of Pacific shore that runs from south of Acapulco to the...
Reviewed by Chris Moss in issue: July/2018
For the Love of Tabla
North India’s favourite percussion instrument, the tabla, has always been relegated to being an accompaniment and it was the subservient,...
Reviewed by Jameela Siddiqi in issue: July/2022
Zār Songs for the Spirits
Zār is a rite that arrived in Egypt with migration – partly due to slavery – from sub-Saharan East Africa....
Reviewed by Neil van der Linden in issue: March/2022
The Best of the SABC Years
Starting her career in the 1950s, Irene Mawela wrote songs for the Dark City Sisters and the Mahotella Queens, was...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: June/2019
The Complete Works of Fela Anikulapo Kuti
It’s never been easy to make a sensible suggestion when asked to nominate the best starting point to the music...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: March/2011
Night Train for Lovers and Thieves
Gypsy Groovz Orchestra Goes Tuttimundi
Most new Balkan brass records try to capitalise on the genre's reputation as being fantastic dance music – each vying...
Reviewed by Lemez Lovas in issue: Jan/Feb/2010
The Best of Vis-A-Vis in Congo Style
Earlier this year Songlines reviewed the reissue of Obi Agye Me Dofo, a rare 1977 album from the golden age...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: January/February/2022
Catastrophic Life
“The Marx Brothers on acid; the nightmare of Benjamin Netanyahu; freaks; millionaires on a mission impossible; a great story,” this...
Reviewed by Robert Rigney in issue: March/2020
