Reviews
Iran: Music of the Qajar Era
Infamous for their ineptitude, extravagance, despotism and venality, among other things, the Qajar dynasty is seldom praised when reflecting...
Reviewed by Joobin Bekhrad in issue: Jan/Feb/2015
The Living Room Sessions Part 2
This is the eagerly awaited second volume of the outstanding Living Room Sessions, the first of which won the legendary...
Reviewed by Jameela Siddiqi in issue: July/2013
The Rough Guide to African Disco
Bursting out of 70s America, with a white-suited Travolta at the helm, disco called the world to dance. Its funk,...
Reviewed by Lilly Pollard in issue: June/2013
Athos: Echoes from the Holy Mountain
FLEE Project are known for their work in presenting traditional musics raw, and then calling on contemporary musicians to recontextualise...
Reviewed by Kim Burton in issue: January/2025
Tilaye’s Saxophone with the Dahlak Band
Saxophonist Tilaye Gebre was one of the stalwarts of Addis Ababa’s popular music scene from the 1960s to the 1980s,...
Reviewed by Jim Hickson in issue: April/2026
Once Upon a Time in Senegal: The Birth of Mbalax 1979-1981
Youssou N’Dour is Africa’s biggest star and the mbalax sound he helped shape remains Senegal’s musical heartbeat 30 years after...
Reviewed by Katharina Lobeck Kane in issue: Aug/Sep/2010
IYA: Songs for the Mothers
For their fifth album, London's Afro-Cuban community choir build on their tradition of performing songs to the Orishas (Yoruba deities)...
Reviewed by Chris Moss in issue: May/2023
Songs of the Summer Realm
In 1960, Lerner and Loewe brought Camelot to the Broadway stage. In 1975, Rick Wakeman gave King Arthur the prog-rock...
Reviewed by Tony Gillam in issue: October/2020
In the Key of Joy
Parental guidance: multitude of guest artists. The rapper Common, for example, (dis)graces the opening track on the venerable Mr Mendes'...
Reviewed by Mark Sampson in issue: April/2020
When the Sun Goes In
After touring extensively for 12 years with the band Maia, Robinson has recently preferred to explore the more traditional roots...
Reviewed by Kevin Bourke in issue: March/2021
