Reviews
Espiral de Ilusão
After recording the odd samba on previous albums, Criolo has now devoted a whole album to Brazil's national rhythm, infusing...
Reviewed by Russ Slater in issue: March/2018
Fados de Amor
Rodrigo Costa Félix's second album is a compendium of ruminations on women and love. It's a somewhat old-fashioned affair in...
Reviewed by Michael Macaroon in issue: July/2014
Deep Roots Observer Style
Every musical genre has its golden age and there's many a reggae enthusiast who'll routinely cast a wistful eye back...
Reviewed by Ed Stocker in issue: June/2012
The Sun Will Rise (A Cappella)
Mahsa Vahdat is one of few female singers living in Iran to record regularly outside the country, largely through the...
Reviewed by Laudan Nooshin in issue: July/2016
Dead of Night
The renowned master of Moroccan Gnawa music, Mahmoud Guinia, died in 2015; this album by his son Houssam serves as...
Reviewed by Jim Hickson in issue: December/2024
Amália Classics on Portuguese Guitar
While never the diva, Custódio Castelo has nevertheless been an animating presence in the world of fado for many decades...
Reviewed by Michael Macaroon in issue: May/2020
A Place in Time
Comprising Ryan Couper (guitar, mandolin), Erik Peterson (percussion, vocals), Lewie Peterson (banjo, mandolin) and Jonny Polson (guitar, vocals), the Shetland-based...
Reviewed by Billy Rough in issue: August/2017
Inspirar
Danças Ocultas | Danças Ocultas & Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras
‘Inspirar’ means ‘to inspire’ in Portuguese – no surprise there, right? And the word takes the same double meaning as...
Reviewed by GonÇalo Frota in issue: October/2025
Winter’s End
This powerful album opens with some strange buzzing percussion and tapping wood. It’s the first time a chikulo has appeared...
Reviewed by Simon Broughton in issue: Aug/Sep/2021
Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng
Despite the title, the first album from the legendary Senegalese dance band in a decade is not a tribute album...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: May/2017
