Reviews
Roger Izeidi Presents Vita Matata With African Fiesta
A powerhouse from the golden age of Congolese rumba. African Fiesta was formed in 1963 by singer Tabu Ley Rochereau...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: May/2026
Bomba Pop
Amsterdam Klezmer Band are full of chutzpah — or, as the Dutch say, gotspe. Just two years shy of the...
Reviewed by Celeste Cantor-Stephens in issue: May/2024
Lines: Parts One, Two and Three
Lines, the latest of The Unthanks' many ambitious and innovative projects, is a trilogy of song cycles, each with a...
Reviewed by Julian May in issue: April/2019
River of Revenge: Brazilian Country Music 1929-1961 (Vol 1 & 2)
The pop and crackle of early recording gear, the guttural twang of handmade instruments, hand-me-down harmonies and country songs of...
Reviewed by Dan Hobson in issue: May/2023
Móntate en el Viaje
Wrapped in tacky artwork that recalls 80s über-novelty hit ‘Agadoo’, Móntate en el Viaje is the brainchild of Medellin’s Mauricio...
Reviewed by Brendon Griffin in issue: July/2013
Number One Bus
Dressed in griot-chic and wielding his gimbri like a Fender Stratocaster, Nuru Kane comes on like a trans-Saharan cross between...
Reviewed by Brendon Griffin in issue: July/2010
Kin Sonic
There's a lot of laughter in this second album by the Congo's Jupiter & Okwess. Dramatic, over-the-top ‘mwa-ha-ha's from the...
Reviewed by Jane Cornwell in issue: August/2017
Lamentations
Papua New Guinea-born singer Ngaiire Joseph (pronounced ‘Ny-rie’) is a little lady with a great big voice. She moved to...
Reviewed by Seth Jordan in issue: March/2014
Talé
Baaba Maal did it with 2009's Television. Amadou & Mariam followed last year with Folila. Now Salif Keita has joined...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: Apr/May/2013
