Tuesday, May 17, 2022
The 10 Best New Albums from Around the World (June 2022)
The best new albums reviewed in the June issue of Songlines, featuring Oumou Sangaré, Leyla McCalla, Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita, Congotronics International and more
Oumou Sangaré
Timbuktu World Circuit/BMG
Produced by the French duo of Pascal Danaë and Nicolas Quéré, the songs were mostly written when she found herself stranded by lockdown in the US and unable to return home to Mali. Fusing African tradition with blues, folk and rock, the result is Sangaré’s boldest and most ambitious album to date. Nigel Williamson
Leyla McCalla
Breaking the Thermometer ANTI-
Combining her own original compositions and traditional Haitian tunes with historical broadcasts and interviews, the result is a remarkable sonic journey chronicling the sacrifices and challenges faced by the Haitian people and the island’s tumult and political unrest. Nigel Williamson
Benedicte Maurseth
Hárr Hubro Music
The imaginative integration of all elements in a sort of propulsive acoustic ecosystem is uniquely and irresistibly stunning. Jeff Kaliss
Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita
ECHO bendigedig
The duo effortlessly mix influences from Western classical or folk music with African styles, showing a remarkable musical empathy as they trade solos in their emotional, atmospheric compositions. Robin Denselow
Kolonien
Till Skogen Cumbancha
As invigorating as a cold, sunny, Swedish morning, Kolonien have the freshness of The Cardigans’ early albums while at the same time sounding something like a Nordic Fleet Foxes. Tony Gillam
Congotronics International
Where’s the One? Crammed Discs
Kinshasa’s Congotronic axis meet chosen international artists and create an epic, euphoric mash-up celebrating the tenth anniversary of a historic collaborative tour. Max Reinhardt
Eliane Correa & La Evolución Orchestra
Signo de Fuego Somos Más
Recorded in seven countries with 23 crazy-talented musicians including Barcelona-based singer Yadira Ferrer (whose sparkling vocals lift the ballad ‘Cai’ up toward Mount Orisha) and Cuban music heavyweight Mandi Miranda, this sensational debut is testament to the blossoming of a major talent. Jane Cornwell
Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage
Ink of the Rosy Morning Topic Records
Like a number of albums released this year, the root story behind the Cambridge duo’s debut for Topic Records is wrapped up in the 2020 lockdown and the subsequent world-changing wave of pandemic conditions, from which this luminous, arrestingly beautiful set of mainly traditional folk songs emerges. Tim Cumming
Tenzin Choegyal, Katherine Philp & Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra
Yeshi Dolma Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra
Yeshi Dolma is the culmination of ten years of collaboration between Tenzin Choegyal from Tibet and Australian Katherine Philp. They come from totally different cultural backgrounds, however, as in many cases, the emotional mystery of music brought a Western classical-trained lead cellist together with an exiled traditional singer and multi-instrumentalist. Michael Ormiston
Tāmira Pūoro
Feather Spines Oro Records
Understated, gentle and organic, Feather Spines is a very well-crafted work that successfully merges influences from both Māori and pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent) culture. Seth Jordan
