Reviews
Pōpoloheno: Songs of Resilience & Joy
A beautifully curated collection of music, Pōpoloheno: Songs of Resilience & Joy doubles as a powerful moment of acknowledgement of...
Reviewed by Sosefina Fuamoli in issue: August/2025
Church of Kidane Mehret
In the years since the death of Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru in 2023, we have been lucky to hear archival...
Reviewed by Jim Hickson in issue: July/2025
Ella Hanshaw’s Black Book
Growing up in West Virginia in the 1930s and 40s, this singer-songwriter, while listening to the likes of Merle Haggard...
Reviewed by Mark Sampson in issue: July/2025
Tropical Desert
BABON present an intriguing take on a globally diverse instrumental groove. Formed in Indonesia by schoolmates Rayi and Wahyudi (to...
Reviewed by Paul Bowler in issue: December/2025
Goaskinviellja – Eagle Brother
Over 30 years on from its 1993 release, the eagle soars again in this welcome reissue. Boine had already captivated...
Reviewed by Fiona Talkington in issue: April/2026
Funky Africa
Compared to, say, Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim, Almon Memela is not a name much celebrated in the pantheon of...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: July/2022
Acamar
This is a relaxed, drifting set of Arabic-European instrumental compositions and improvisations from a band based in the Netherlands. The...
Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: October/2019
A Touma
Little more than six months ago, Ballaké Sissoko released Djourou, a kora album of glorious hybridity, rooted in ancient griot...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: December/2021
La Increíble Historia de un Hombre Bueno
DePedro is the nom do guorro of Spanish guitarist and singer Jairo Zavala, an experienced sideman and session musician with...
Reviewed by Tim Woodall in issue: October/2013
