Reviews
Born in the City of Tanta: Lower Egyptian Urban Folklore and Bedouin Shaabi from Libya’s Bourini Records 1968–75
Seemingly a world removed from the lushly orchestrated, exquisitely tasteful music of state-approved Egyptian icons like Mohamed Abdel-Wahab and Oum...
Reviewed by Paul Bowler in issue: August/2025
Lisané Bahir
Lisané Bahir, the fourth offering from LA-based Ethiopian keys player Kibrom Birhane is an otherworldly set deftly combining tradition with...
Reviewed by Andrew Taylor-Dawson in issue: January/2026
Bootleg Series Volume 18: Through The Open Window, 1956–1963
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
Weights & Measures
If you walked into a bar or a hall anywhere in the US and found that Darrin Hacquard and his...
Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: January/2026
Fallen Angel
Fallen Angel, The Unfaithful Servants’ second full-length release, serves up a splendid sampling of the Vancouver Island-based quartet’s distinctive take...
Reviewed by Doug Deloach in issue: January/2026
Diamond Grove
Cicadas chitter. A banjo twangs like the opening to a raga. A fiddle flickers. A cow moans. Wait, was that...
Reviewed by Daniel Spicer in issue: January/2026
Drift
Nashville bluegrass banjo stalwart Wes Corbett’s new album, Drift, is surprisingly spectacular. A member of the Sam Bush Band, Corbett...
Reviewed by Devon Léger in issue: January/2026
Cathedrals Beneath the Black Mountain
This is an accomplished, confident new album from Denver guitarist D. West, who leans more towards the ‘new age’ instrumental...
Reviewed by Glenn Kimpton in issue: January/2026
Acide Balkanique
Looking for a guaranteed smash hit for your next world music dance party? Look no further than Acide Balkanique, the...
Reviewed by Doug Deloach in issue: January/2026
Maqam Pilgrims
Egyptian-born oud player and composer Mustafa Said is one of the most illustrious names in Arabic music today. Born blind,...
Reviewed by Simon Broughton in issue: January/2026
