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Reviews

Review of African Party

African Party

Ginger Johnson and His African Messengers

Freestyle Records

Rating: ★★★★

He died in Lagos 40 years ago and his heyday on London's music scene is a good 50 years in...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2015

Review of Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band

Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band

Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band

Strut Records

Rating: ★★★★

This is a new recording of old-school highlife and Afrobeat from one of Ghana's great vocalists, backed by a scorching...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2015

Review of Lion Songs: Essential Tracks in the Making of Zimbabwe

Lion Songs: Essential Tracks in the Making of Zimbabwe

Thomas Mapfumo

Lion Songs

Rating: ★★★★

As an audio companion to his recent biography of Mapfumo, the American writer and guitarist Banning Eyre has compiled 14...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2015

Review of The West African Blues Project

The West African Blues Project

Modou Touré & Ramon Goose

ARC Music

Rating: ★★★

The easiest way to describe The West African Blues Project is that it is exactly what it says in its...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2015

Review of Alone (Ténéré)

Alone (Ténéré)

Terakaft

Out Here Records

Rating: ★★★★

Terakaft cannot be numbered among the legion of Tinariwen imitators to have emerged in recent years; they were there at...

Reviewed in issue July/2015

Review of Akö

Akö

Blick Bassy

No Format!

Rating: ★★★★

Born in Cameroon in 1974 but resident in Paris since 2005, Bassy spent ten years in the jazz fusion group...

Reviewed in issue July/2015

Review of Sangoyi

Sangoyi

Kala Jula

Buda Musique

Rating: ★★★

Kala Jula is a collaboration between multi-instrumentalists Samba Diabaté and Vincent Zanetti, both of whom live in Mali, although the...

Reviewed in issue July/2015

Review of We Are in the War

We Are in the War

Prince Buju

Makkum Records

Rating: ★★★

Also known as Aduko Saabo, Prince Buju is the latest luminary to gain exposure through Makkum Records, the Amsterdam-based label...

Reviewed in issue July/2015

Review of Balbalou

Balbalou

Cheikh Lô

Top of the World

Chapter Two Records

Rating: ★★★★★

It's five years since Cheikh Lô's fourth and final album for the World Circuit label but thankfully little has changed...

Reviewed in issue July/2015

Review of Taziri

Taziri

Titi Robin & Mehdi Nassouli

Top of the World

World Village

Rating: ★★★★

French guitarist and bouzouki player Robin's musical journeys around the Mediterranean are part of his signature style. His latest collaboration...

Reviewed in issue July/2015

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