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Review of I Would Not Live Always

I Would Not Live Always

John Francis Flynn

Top of the World

River Lea

Rating: ★★★★

I Would Not Live Always opens with a brief burst of burbling electronics before the traditional ballad ‘Lovely Joan’ weighs...

Reviewed by Tim Cumming in issue: Aug/Sep/2021

Review of Pura Vida Conspiracy

Pura Vida Conspiracy

Gogol Bordello

Casa Gogol Records

Rating: ★★★

It’d be a cliché to mention that salty yeast-based vegetarian spread in relation to whether one has a taste forHütz...

Reviewed by Howard Male in issue: October/2013

Review of Fire & Fortune

Fire & Fortune

Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker

Navigator Records

Rating: ★★★

There's a strong tradition of classically trained musicians and composers who have been absorbed by and into the folk tradition...

Reviewed by Tim Cumming in issue: Aug/Sept/2013

Review of Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul & Synth-Boogie in 1980s South Africa

Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul & Synth-Boogie in 1980s South Africa

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Soundway Records

Rating: ★★★★

‘Bubblegum’ was the catch-all term given to Western-influenced popular music in 1980s South Africa, although the term is highly misleading,...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: July/2018

Review of Joy of Living: A Tribute to Ewan MacColl

Joy of Living: A Tribute to Ewan MacColl

Various Artists

Top of the World

Cooking Vinyl Records – Release date October 30

Rating: ★★★★★

The centenary of Ewan MacColl's birth provides the perfect opportunity for a remarkable collection of artists to celebrate this unique,...

Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: November/2015

Review of Alefa Madagascar! Salegy, Soukous & Soul from the Red Island 1974-1984

Alefa Madagascar! Salegy, Soukous & Soul from the Red Island 1974-1984

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Strut Records

Rating: ★★★

Another offering from Strut Records' Indian Ocean compilation series, this album of Malagasy songs takes a look at one of...

Reviewed by Lucy Hallam in issue: November/2019

Review of Nuestras Vivencias

Nuestras Vivencias

Echoes of Spain

Echoes of Spain

Rating: ★★

Echoes of Spain are an Anglo-Spanish flamenco guitar duo who have just self-produced their first album. They are both more...

Reviewed by Jo Setters in issue: May/2017

Review of Meet the Mahotella Queens

Meet the Mahotella Queens

Mahotella Queens

Umsakazo Records

Rating: ★★★★

Released in 1966, this was the Mahotella Queens' debut, comprising their first seven singles plus B-sides recorded over the previous...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: May/2020

Review of The Sea

The Sea

Martha Tilston

Squiggly Records

Rating: ★★★★

Martha Tilston's previous albums mixed lyricism and a clear, ringing voice with social-political themes, but The Sea is her first...

Reviewed by Tim Cumming in issue: Jan/Feb/2015

Review of Burkina Hakili

Burkina Hakili

Kady Diarra

Lamastrock

Rating: ★★★★

The West African nation of Burkina Faso has 60 different ethnic groups; in a strong career that includes three albums...

Reviewed by Jane Cornwell in issue: July/2021

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