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Review of Mapendo

Mapendo

The Mighty Cavaliers

Want Some Records

Rating: ★★★★

50 years ago, the Starlight Club in Nairobi was one of the hottest nightspots in East Africa, a venue that...

Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: November/2023

Review of songdreaming

songdreaming

Sam Lee

Cooking Vinyl

Rating: ★★★★

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the face of technological advance, we have seen an...

Reviewed by Nathaniel Handy in issue: April/2024

Review of The Yew & The Orchard

The Yew & The Orchard

Cillian Vallely & David Doocey

Cillian Vallely

Rating: ★★★★

The long tradition of music flowing between the east and west of Ireland’s northern counties is nimbly caught in The...

Reviewed by Michael Quinn in issue: April/2024

Review of Passeport

Passeport

LASS | Lass

Chapter Two Records / Wagram Music

Rating: ★★★

From the moment Lassana Sané, aka Lass, gently launches into the opening track ‘Massamba’, the listener is aware of the...

Reviewed by Daniel Brown in issue: July/2024

Review of Boarding Pass

Boarding Pass

Reginald Policard

Encuentro Music

Rating: ★★★

Widely rated as the ‘most valued pianist in Haiti’s jazz scene,’ Reginald Policard’s long career has spanned some 50 years;...

Reviewed by Huw Hennessy in issue: September/2024

Review of Direct-to-Dub

Direct-to-Dub

Scientist

Night Dreamer

Rating: ★★★★★

Scientist is one of the iconic producers of Jamaican dub music. In his late teens, he found himself deep in...

Reviewed by Max Reinhardt in issue: November/2024

Review of A Fiestar

A Fiestar

Andy Gola & Colé Colé Orquesta

Tumi Music

Rating: ★★★

With a horn section like Earth Wind & Fire on amphetamines, furious percussion, a wailing guitar and potent vocals, the...

Reviewed by Mark Sampson in issue: June/2025

Review of Bootleg Series Volume 18: Through The Open Window, 1956–1963

Bootleg Series Volume 18: Through The Open Window, 1956–1963

Bob Dylan

Columbia Legacy

Rating: ★★★★★

Bob Dylan would go on to reinvent himself many times, but there remains something iconic about his first iteration as...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: January/2026

Review of Filin

Filin

Melissa Aldana

Blue Note Records

Rating: ★★★★

Celebrated Chilean-born saxophonist and Blue Note Records torchbearer Melissa Aldana delves into her love of the Cuban filin musical style...

Reviewed by Andrew Taylor-Dawson in issue: April/2026

Review of In Light

In Light

Batila

Galileo MC

Rating: ★★★★★★★

Congolese producer Batila’s latest release, In Light, offers up a soothing soundscape that connects the listener to the rich textures...

Reviewed by Chinonso Ihekire in issue: May/2026

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