Reviews
Afropentatonism
Alhousseini Anivolla & Girum Mezmur
With five notes per octave, the pentatonic scale is considered the oldest scale in the world. Originating in ancient Mesopotamia...
Reviewed by Robert Rigney in issue: Aug/Sept/2020
The Griot's Craft
The previous solo album from the Bembeya Jazz/Africando singer and voice of Guinea to receive an international release was Sinikan,...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: March/2013
Acadian All Star Special
What a beautifully packaged project this is: a large box housing three CDs and a hardback book full of rare...
Reviewed by Garth Cartwright in issue: March/2012
Balkan Brass Battle
Any visitor to the Guča festival will have witnessed the raucous spectacle of two sweat-soaked brass bands angrily trying to...
Reviewed by Joe Walker in issue: Aug/Sep/2011
The Rough Guide to African Music for Children
As the grandfather of a one-year-old, with a second grandchild on the way, this reviewer has been eagerly searching for...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: July/2013
Without Words
A genial expert, Doug Cox wears his considerable fingerpicking and slide-guitar talents lightly. His lifelong love of the blues is...
Reviewed by Matt Milton in issue: March/2010
What the Folk?!
2008's Fela Kalappal took the Hungarian band's repertoire of music out of the Carpathians and pulled it into the shape...
Reviewed by Tim Cumming in issue: October/2011
Japanistan
This recording by Paris-based instrumentalist Kengo Saito appears to occupy a niche of one, being a cross-section of music from...
Reviewed by Charlie Cawood in issue: Aug/Sep/2016
Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys
The idea was both unexpected and charming: plunder the rich store of mariners’ melodies, real and mock shanties and pirates’...
Reviewed by Kim Burton in issue: June/2013
The Rough Guide to African Roots Revival
One of the keys to success in the competitive compilation market is to find fresh and interesting thematic approaches that...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: June/2012
