Reviews
Great Expectation
A folk style with ensemble vocals, banjo and distinct African percussion, mento was Jamaica's leading style from the 1920s onwards,...
Reviewed by Charles De Ledesma in issue: Nov/Dec/2010
The Rough Guide to Psychedelic Cumbia
The ever-growing thirst for Peruvian cumbia (sometimes known as chicha) is showing no signs of being satiated. What started in...
Reviewed by Russ Slater in issue: November/2015
How to Swim in the Desert
In their 12th album, French group L'Attirail journey across a desert; by swimming, of course. Along the way they meet...
Reviewed by Celeste Cantor-Stephens in issue: May/2019
The Ultimate Guide to Scottish Folk
The third in a series of Ultimate Guide collections, following Spanish and Irish editions, this two-CD set traces the development...
Reviewed by Rob Adams in issue: Jan/Feb/2016
The Living Room Sessions, Part 1
Coming fast on the heels of his Nine Decades series – which featured some brilliant tracks from the early days...
Reviewed by Jameela Siddiqi in issue: July/2012
Live at the Sydney Opera House
The oud is normally rather a modest instrument, so an oud concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney...
Reviewed by Bill Badley in issue: Aug/Sept/2020
Subway Salsa – The Montuno Records Story
Wander down under Times Square, deep in the New York subway system, and there it is: Record Mart. A modest...
Reviewed by Jane Cornwell in issue: Apr/May/2012
Snow Beneath the Belly of a White Swan: The Lost Live Recordings
Basho was an unconventional and singular 12-string guitarist, an outsider whose music remains uniquely beguiling. Often dubbed the ‘Father of...
Reviewed by Chris Wheatley in issue: February/March/2025
Solidarity
A multicultural album recorded by a group of international expats and Canadian natives on a surplus Tascam eight-track tape machine...
Reviewed by Mark Sampson in issue: Nov/Dec/2012
Malira
Originally formed in 1983 as a duo, Australian band Not Drowning, Waving was created by classically-trained keyboardist-composer-producer David Bridie and...
Reviewed by Seth Jordan in issue: January/2026
