Reviews
Vol 2
The Awesome Tapes from Africa label started by reissuing Vol 3 by Malian singer Nahawa in 2011, and followed it...
Reviewed in issue February/March/2025
Zanzibara 11: Congo in Dar: Dance No Sweat
Orchestre Maquis du Zaire & Orchestre Safari Sound
This compilation paints a picture of a politically complicated yet incredibly musically fertile time. Zanzibara 11 tells the story of...
Reviewed in issue February/March/2025
Onye Rie Ibe Ya Erie
Oriental Brothers International Band
Formed in Eastern Nigeria as an Igbo highlife band shortly after the Nigerian-Biafran War, the Oriental Brothers have undergone numerous...
Reviewed in issue February/March/2025
Héritage
A decade on from Songhoy Blues’ explosive debut Music in Exile, it’s probably time to stop calling the band from...
Reviewed in issue February/March/2025
Highlife
In his previous work, Ghanaian trumpeter Peter Somuah has brought flavours of highlife into the idiom of contemporary jazz. With...
Reviewed in issue January/2025
Avoudé
Dogo du Togo & The Alagaa Beat Band
With Avoudé, Dogo du Togo makes a dynamic leap from the stripped-back sound of his 2022 debut to an electrifying...
Reviewed in issue January/2025
Mmabatho
Singer, songwriter and producer Tomeletso Sereetsi is something of a hero in his homeland as an exponent of the unique...
Reviewed in issue January/2025
Port’Inglês
The tricky part about coming up with and cementing an aesthetic of your own is avoiding being cornered or imprisoned...
Reviewed in issue January/2025
Our Ancestors Swam to Shore
Uninhabited until the Portuguese turned up in the 15th century, São Tomé is a volcanic island out in the Atlantic...
Reviewed in issue January/2025
Here and Now (Live at City Club)
Walid Ben Selim, from Casablanca, started out as a rapper, most notably leading contemporary Arabic-language band N3rdistan, but since then...
Reviewed in issue January/2025
