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Reviews

Review of Whitewater

Whitewater

Erwan Keravec

Ici D’ailleurs

Rating: ★★

Erwan Keravec grew up in Brittany, but is a Scottish bagpiper, now resident in Rennes. He marches sternly between modern...

Reviewed by Martin Longley in issue: February/March/2026

Review of A Loaf of Wax (Live from MOTH Club)

A Loaf of Wax (Live from MOTH Club)

Goblin Band

Top of the World

Broadside Hacks Recordings

Rating: ★★★★

‘Willie’s Lady’ tells the story of a new wife who has more than the usual difficulties with her mother-in-law, who...

Reviewed by Julian May in issue: February/March/2026

Review of Songs from the Temple

Songs from the Temple

Bageshree Vaze

Bageshree Vaze

Rating: ★★

Singer and dance artist Bageshree Vaze’s eclectic new release is a mixed affair, though fans of Hindustani music will find...

Reviewed by James Rorison in issue: February/March/2026

Review of Jaliya Silokang (The Path of a Griot)

Jaliya Silokang (The Path of a Griot)

Suntou Susso

Suntou Susso

Rating: ★★★

Over the past decade, Gambian-born griot Suntou Susso has collaborated with his half-brother Seckou Keita, toured with his father Mamudou...

Reviewed by Tony Gillam in issue: February/March/2026

Review of Lux

Lux

Rosalía

Columbia/Sony

Rating: ★★★★★

With the media of the globe showering Rosalía’s new album with superlatives and attempts at analysis, one has to ask...

Reviewed by Philip Sweeney in issue: February/March/2026

Review of Yatta!

Yatta!

YĪN YĪN | Yīn Yīn

Glitterbeat

Rating: ★★★

While Dutch outfit YĪN YĪN first made their name through an amalgam of psychedelic rock and Southeast Asian styles, their...

Reviewed by Paul Bowler in issue: February/March/2026

Review of New Quartet: Live At Pierre Boulez Saal

New Quartet: Live At Pierre Boulez Saal

Amir ElSaffar

Māqam Records

Rating: ★★★★

Mainly known as a trumpeter, but also a fine singer and santur specialist, the Iraqi-American Amir ElSaffar has been honing...

Reviewed by Martin Longley in issue: February/March/2026

Review of Gil Brenton

Gil Brenton

The Magpie Arc

The Magpie Arc

Rating: ★★★★

Seventies folk provides the throbbing heart of the mighty Magpie Arc’s second full-length album, Gil Brenton. The title-track opens with...

Reviewed by Billy Rough in issue: February/March/2026

Review of Rumba Africa

Rumba Africa

Syran Mbenza

Top of the World

Hysa Productions

Rating: ★★★★★

Emerging from the Congo, and flourishing even during that painful era when the country was renamed Zaire, African rumba became...

Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: February/March/2026

Review of Stafell Sbâr Sain: Tŷ Gwerin

Stafell Sbâr Sain: Tŷ Gwerin

Various Artists

Sain

Rating: ★★★★

Stafell Sbâr Sain (Sain’s Spare Room) is a vibrant showcase of Welsh folk at its most diverse and inventive. Released...

Reviewed by Elliw Iwan in issue: February/March/2026

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