Reviews

Voice of the People: “It Was Mighty!” – The Early Days of Irish Music in London

VARIOUS ARTISTS

These two sets of field recordings – from the pubs, clubs, ballrooms, bars, private rooms, Irish centres and occasional radio...

Reviewed by Tim Cumming in issue: June/2016

Lam Phloen Grade A Guy

Angkanang Kunchai | Sonthaya Kalasin | Various Artists

Composer, producer and savvy businessman Doi Inthanon (named after Thailand's tallest mountain) has created a huge catalogue of songs and...

Reviewed by John Clewley in issue: Jan/Feb/2017

Les Routes de l'Esclavage 2 CDs & DVD

Jordi Savall

Sponsored by UNESCO and conceived by the Catalan musician Jordi Savall as a cultural history of slavery and a homage...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: June/2017

Oye Mujer

Ladama

Pan-American musicians have got more chance of creating peace and prosperity than the region’s politicians. Perhaps the latter can call...

Reviewed by Chris Moss in issue: November/2020

Ifetayo; Glory of Om; Anoda Sistem; ‘Oduduwa’ [single]

Oluko Imo / Black Truth Rhythm Band

With the blessing of his widow, Soundway Records have re-released three landmark albums and a single from the much underrated...

Reviewed by Clyde Macfarlane in issue: May/2024

Cancionera

Natalia Lafourcade

We know Natalia Lafourcade can turn on the intimacy and intensity. On 2024’s Live at Carnegie Hall, she managed to...

Reviewed by Chris Moss in issue: June/2025

The Harry Smith B-Sides

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Harry Smith’s legendary six-LP series, Anthology of American Folk Music, surely stands as the most influential collection of early 20th...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: December/2020

Luci e Guai

Crimi

Raised in Lyon with the tunes his Sicilian grandmother sang to him, Julien Lesuisse set out in search of his...

Reviewed by Robert Rigney in issue: June/2021

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry & Friends: The Black Ark Years

VARIOUS ARTISTS

When Trojan Records became part of the giant Universal Music, reggae collectors might well have feared that the previous stream...

Reviewed by Neil Foxlee in issue: Jan/Feb/2011

En Kötü Iyi Olur

Lalalar

Turkish trio Lalalar are a pretty convincing example of how oppression can cause unruly bursts of refusenik artistic expression. The...

Reviewed by Daniel Spicer in issue: November/2023