Reviews
African Soul Revolutionary
Every slick studio release Baaba Maal puts on the market tends to prompt someone to release some unmixed, live or...
Reviewed by Katharina Lobeck Kane in issue: Nov/Dec/2010
Başka Bahar
Over the last decade, there’s been a slew of European bands – often including a Turkish member – who’ve drawn...
Reviewed by Daniel Spicer in issue: April/2026
Zanzibara 9: Masika, Un Souffle Frais de Tanzanie (1972-74)
Mbaraka Mwinshehe & Orchestra Super Volcano
Following up the very different, and rather sinuous taarab music showcased on volume 8 of Buda's excellent Zanzibara series devoted...
Reviewed by Jon Lusk in issue: May/2016
Mountains on the Moon
Acoustic roots duo Paper Wings float effortlessly between genres with their new album, Mountains on the Moon. Their songs sound...
Reviewed by Devon Léger in issue: May/2026
Chamber Music
Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal
This hypnotic masterpiece from the French label No Format is another fine example of the label’s penchant for putting musicians...
Reviewed by Rose Skelton in issue: Aug/Sep/2010
Rough Guide to African Lullabies
Judging by our own experiences, this is a winner. Our son was asleep before the third track had finished and...
Reviewed by Jill Turner in issue: Nov/Dec/2011
Wotcheor!
The album cover has Jez tilting his boater and grinning into a camera like an old-fashioned MC, as if beckoning...
Reviewed by Tim Cumming in issue: Jan/Feb/2011
Halo’s Glitter
South African/Zimbabwean singer Nongoma Ndlovu teams up with Swiss percussionist Fabio Meier for a set of ‘Afro Soul Tronic’, a...
Reviewed by Tim Cumming in issue: December/2025
Action! and Intensified
Desmond Dekker brought Jamaican music into the international pop charts – first with ‘007 (Shanty Town)’ in 1967 then in...
Reviewed by Garth Cartwright in issue: November/2018
Viento y Tiempo: Live at Blue Note Tokyo
Aymée Nuviola | Gonzalo Rubalcaba
In August 2019 the award-winning Cuban artists Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Aymée Nuviola teamed up to play six sold-out nights at...
Reviewed by Jane Cornwell in issue: November/2020
