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Review of Songs of the Roma

Songs of the Roma

Simon Thacker & Justyna Jablonska

Top of the World

Slap the Moon Records

Rating: ★★★★

This exploration of the rich Gypsy heritage of Balkan music is the second album by Scottish guitarist Simon Thacker with...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: February/March/2025

Review of Turkey: The Ceremony of the Bektashi Djem

Turkey: The Ceremony of the Bektashi Djem

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Ocora Radio France

Rating: ★★

Many visitors to Turkey will have witnessed the ritual of the Mevlevi ‘Whirling Dervishes,’ either in a performance for tourists...

Reviewed by Simon Broughton in issue: July/2013

Review of The Railway

The Railway

Hamish Napier

Strathspey Records

Rating: ★★★★

Napier's follow-up to 2016's The River is a very personal and inviting little gem. It's inspired by his hometown of...

Reviewed by Billy Rough in issue: November/2018

Review of The Traveller

The Traveller

Baaba Maal

Top of the World

Marathon Artists

Rating: ★★★★

Since 2001's acoustic set Missing You (Mi Yeewnii), Baaba's only new studio album in 15 years has been 2009's Television,...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: March/2016

Review of The Rough Guide to Ravi Shankar

The Rough Guide to Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar

World Music Network

Rating: ★★★★

To produce a compilation of Ravi Shankar must surely be one of the most daunting tasks, given the wealth of...

Reviewed by Jameela Siddiqi in issue: Aug/Sep/2018

Review of The Art of the Chinese Xiao & Hulusi

The Art of the Chinese Xiao & Hulusi

Heart of the Dragon Ensemble

Naxos World

Rating: ★★★

Led by composer/arranger Li Jiang, Heart of the Dragon Ensemble is a UK-based collective of Chinese instrumentalists, known for their...

Reviewed by Charlie Cawood in issue: June/2022

Review of Across the Western Ocean

Across the Western Ocean

Pressgang Mutiny

Pressgang Mutiny

Rating: ★★★★

The second album of shanties and songs of the sea from Pressgang Mutiny since they came together in 2013 in...

Reviewed by Kevin Bourke in issue: December/2020

Review of Folktron

Folktron

Oratnitza

Fusion Embassy

Rating: ★★★★

On the second full-length album from Bulgarian folk distorters Oratnitza, the quartet continues its quest to meld traditional music with...

Reviewed by Jim Hickson in issue: March/2016

Review of The Hazel and Alice Sessions

The Hazel and Alice Sessions

Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands

Spruce and Maple Music

Rating: ★★★★

Bluegrass veteran Laurie Lewis does her mentors proud with this 14-track tribute to the undisputed female heavyweight champions of the...

Reviewed by Doug Deloach in issue: Aug/Sep/2016

Review of The Night Out

The Night Out

Monkey See Monkey Do

Monkey See Monkey Do

Rating: ★★★

The Night Out is the debut album of this Southampton-based quartet, whose music is firmly rooted in the English and...

Reviewed by Tony Gillam in issue: November/2020

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