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Reviews

Review of The Burial of Kojo

The Burial of Kojo

Blitz the Ambassador

Direct Current MGMT

Rating: ★★★★

Blitz the Ambassador is a Ghanaian American visual artist, MC and bandleader with a clutch of interesting, forward-looking albums under...

Reviewed by Jane Cornwell in issue: July/2019

Review of Summer in Lviv

Summer in Lviv

The Ukrainians

Zirka Records

Rating: ★★

It's 30 years since the creation of The Ukrainians, a unique phenomenon of British-indie-rock-meets-Ukrainian-tradition. It began with guitarist Peter Solowka...

Reviewed by Simon Broughton in issue: July/2019

Review of Drawn from Deep Water

Drawn from Deep Water

Gnoss

Blackfly Records

Rating: ★★★

First formed as a duo in 2015, Gnoss (now a quartet) have been steadily making a name for themselves on...

Reviewed by Billy Rough in issue: July/2019

Review of Philantropiques

Philantropiques

Guts

Top of the World

Heavenly Sweetness

Rating: ★★★★

First up, a confession: having seen French jazz/soul/funk/rap producer Guts on stage and been less than impressed, I had low...

Reviewed by Jane Cornwell in issue: July/2019

Review of Long Story Short

Long Story Short

Shirley Smart

33Xtreme Records

Rating: ★★★

The cello has never featured very prominently in jazz. Bass player Oscar Pettiford is probably the best known (occasional) cellist...

Reviewed by Mark Sampson in issue: July/2019

Review of Orchestre Univers

Orchestre Univers

Labelle

InFiné

Rating: ★★★

Two years after his successful Univers-Île album [a Top of the World album review in #132], Jeremy Labelle, a forerunner...

Reviewed by Pierre Cuny in issue: July/2019

Review of London to Addis

London to Addis

VARIOUS ARTISTS

No Hats No Hoods Records DIGITAL ONLY

Rating: ★★★★★

This is a simple idea with a great pay-off: record traditional Ethiopian krar (five-stringed lyre), washint (wooden flute), masenqo (single-stringed...

Reviewed by Jim Hickson in issue: July/2019

Review of Ambolley

Ambolley

Gyedu-Blay Ambolley

Mr Bongo

Rating: ★★★★

For many of us, our first introduction to the Ghanaian singer and bandleader Gyedu-Blay Ambolley was when Soundway included a...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: July/2019

Review of Time and Place

Time and Place

George Jackson

George Jackson

Rating: ★★★

When confronted by albums of new, original compositions by an instrumental folk artist, this reviewer must admit to a bit...

Reviewed by Matt Milton in issue: July/2019

Review of There is No Other

There is No Other

Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi

Top of the World

Nonesuch

Rating: ★★★★★

Having only reviewed the wonderful Giddens-curated collaborative album Songs of Our Native Daughters in #147, it's a surprise to welcome...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: July/2019

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