Reviews
Baladi Blues Reloaded
Baladi music lies at the root of Arab pop music. It's a popular Egyptian style that developed during the 1920s,...
Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2014
Azerbaijani Love Songs
As you might suspect if you’re familiar with the instrumental music of Azerbaijan, Azeri love songs are lyrical, heartfelt and...
Reviewed in issue June/2014
Sacred World of Azerbaijani Mugham
Gochag Askarov, in his mid-30s, is the new icon of mugham, the intense classical music of Azerbaijan. He was the...
Reviewed in issue June/2014
La Tsadika
I reviewed Mor Karbasi’s debut album The Beauty and the Sea five years ago with heady enthusiasm. Her vibrant vocal...
Reviewed in issue June/2014
Borders Behind
You can understand the youngest of the three Joubran brothers wanting to branch out and record his own album. Le...
Reviewed in issue Apr/May/2014
Kali City
Karim Baggili is a Belgian-born composer, guitarist and oud (Arab lute) player of Jordanian/Yugoslavian heritage, which means that he has...
Reviewed in issue Apr/May/2014
The Rough Guide to Arabic Café
What exactly does Arabic Café mean? The liner notes to this CD explain that, in contrast to the clinical coffeehouse...
Reviewed in issue Apr/May/2014
Deeyah Presents: Iranian Woman
One of the most interesting untold stories (outside Iran) of music after the 1979 revolution is the emergence of an...
Reviewed in issue Apr/May/2014
Makan
Driss El Maloumi’s previous solo album L’Âme Dansée showed him to be one of the most promising oud (lute) players...
Reviewed in issue March/2014
Birds Requiem
Just how many jazz oud recordings does the world really need? While there certainly is a shared tradition of improvisation...
Reviewed in issue March/2014
