Reviews
Vieilles Caniques et Nouvelles Caniques
Stanley Brinks & the Old-Time Kaniks
Indie-folk is often terrible: a ham-fisted, middle-of-the-road mush of xylophones and ukuleles that is unashamedly twee and contrivedly cute. Thankfully,...
Reviewed by Matt Milton in issue: March/2017
The Rough Guide to Blues & Beyond
‘If the purists don’t like it, then that’s tough’. So run the liner notes to The Rough Guide to Blues...
Reviewed by Lucy Wilson in issue: March/2010
NyeSongar.no
Karl Seglem is important to the Norwegian music scene for many reasons: as a hugely respected tenor sax player, as...
Reviewed by Fiona Talkington in issue: March/2014
The Rough Guide to World Music For Children
The liner notes of this compilation of 18 tracks from World Music Network's excellent back catalogue claim that youthful listeners...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: Aug/Sep/2019
Band of Gypsies 2
Taraf de Haidouks & Koçani Orkestar
Ten years ago Romania's super fast Gypsy fiddling stars Taraf de Haidouks teamed up with Macedonian brass band the Koçani...
Reviewed by Simon Broughton in issue: June/2011
Pantakozak and Other New Yiddish Songs for Kids
Pantakozak and Other New Yiddish Songs for Kids brims with playful magic, and there’s no reason to withhold this from...
Reviewed by Celeste Cantor-Stephens in issue: April/2026
Returning Minimalism: New Works for Balinese Gamelan Gong Kebyar
A bird sings and insects hum in the background. A metallophone begins playing a rapid three-beat pattern. Another, played with...
Reviewed by John Whitfield in issue: June/2012
Greatest Hits
Bebo Valdés became famous in the 21st century as the Cuban emigré pianist who recorded Lágrimas Negras, the stunning 2002...
Reviewed by Jan Fairley in issue: July/2010
The Bridge
Arash Moradi plays the tanbur – a saz-like long-necked lute that is played in Iranian Kurdistan. For many it is...
Reviewed by Simon Broughton in issue: June/2018
Classic American Ballads from Smithsonian Folkways
The newest instalment of Smithsonian Folkways’ splendid vault-raiding Classic series compiles 25 songs written between 1836 and 1947 about topical...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: Aug/Sep/2015
