Reviews
Kismet
Since their debut as Kolektif Istanbul, Krivoto (which came out nearing the peak of the Balkan hype in 2008), the...
Reviewed by Robert Rigney in issue: November/2021
Balkan Reggae
Mahala Rai Banda – the youthful Bucharest Gypsy band who mix brass and strings – are no newcomers to being...
Reviewed by Garth Cartwright in issue: Aug/Sept/2013
The Irish Sea Sessions 2010
The inaugural Irish Sea Sessions, of which this is an electrifying live recording from last year’s Liverpool Irish Festival, brought...
Reviewed by Kevin Bourke in issue: Jan/Feb/2012
Wonder Wheel
The Klezmatics – accomplished Ameri¬can practitioners of progressive klezmer music for the past 20 years – won a Grammy for...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: Jan/Feb/2010
Sahel Folk
Sidi Touré’s first album, Hoga, appeared 14 years ago on Stern’s and it is an indication of how the global...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: March/2011
Unfolding the Roots
Projects such as this, in which everyone is playing the same type of instrument, can often seem like a nerdy...
Reviewed by Matt Milton in issue: June/2017
Hubcap Music
The Californian bluesman’s fifth album doesn’t mess about. Following the sound of an engine revving up, opening track ‘Down on...
Reviewed by Howard Male in issue: July/2013
Postcards
‘Like David Grisman's Dawg’ music, but with pierogies,’ is how Eric Stein, leader of Beyond The Pale once jokingly described...
Reviewed by Li Robbins in issue: Apr/May/2010
Tsara Madagasikara
Here is the long awaited return of one of Madagascar's most loved musicians, valiha (bamboo zither) master and multi-instrumentalist Samoela...
Reviewed by Paddy Bush in issue: October/2010
Praznina/Emptiness
Best known as a member of the Slovenian ‘imaginary folk’ band Širom, Iztok Koren is an experimental multi-instrumentalist who clearly...
Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: July/2023
