Reviews

Hoggar

Tinariwen

Tinariwen are the elder statesmen of desert blues, champions of Touareg resistance, and spokesmen for their nomadic culture which spans...

Reviewed in issue April/2026

A Djinn and a Hunter Went Walking

Neba Solo & Benego Diakité

Two traditional instrumentalists from Mali, but from different cultures. Neba Solo, who also sings, is one of the most respected...

Reviewed in issue April/2026

Let Us Clap

Lamisi

Lamisi is a singer-songwriter from Accra with roots in the Upper East Region of northern Ghana. The project’s musical director...

Reviewed in issue April/2026

Jèem

Lëk Sèn

Gravel-voiced Senegalese reggae singer Lëk Sèn delivers an album that finds its formula in the opening seconds and sticks to...

Reviewed in issue April/2026

Mengwi

Nda Chi

Cameroonian artist Nda Chi describes his album as a ritual journey, a tribute to lost mothers, a collection of anthems...

Reviewed in issue April/2026

Ethiopiques 32

Nalbandian the Ethiopian & Either/Orchestra

Boston’s Either/Orchestra featured on Ethiopiques 20 in a live recording made in Addis in 2004 and resurface here with a...

Reviewed in issue April/2026

Hunter Folk Vol II: Tribute to Bantoma Sanogo

Pelengana Blo

This recording by Pelengana Blo, a member of the Donsoya, the Mande hunters’ brotherhood, pays tribute to the society’s rich...

Reviewed in issue April/2026

Ethiopiques 31

Muluken Mèllèssè

One assumed that the Ethiopiques catalogue had run its course, as it’s now almost a decade since the last volume...

Reviewed in issue April/2026

Djelika

Toumani Diabaté

The loss of kora legend Toumani Diabate in 2024 was a tragedy for the world of music, but Chrysalis Records’...

Reviewed in issue April/2026

Songs From The Cane Fields (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Guy Buttery

Two decades ago, the 21-year-old Guy Buttery released an instrumental album that redefined South African guitar playing. While his compatriot...

Reviewed in issue February/March/2026