Cape Verde: An Archipelago of Music

The Ocora label specialises in field recordings of music from around the world. This release is a double CD of music from Cape Verde, an island group whose history encompasses colonisation, slavery and independence, and whose music reflects all the influences brought to its shores. Here we have group singing with West African ceremonial origins, accordion-led Latin-infused songs, European dance forms with a unique flavour and many other manifestations of Cape Verde's Creole culture.

One of the best things about this is the incredibly thorough accompanying booklet in French, English and Portuguese. Flicking through as you listen, you get a wealth of information about Cape Verde and its history, the origins of the different musical forms, instrumentation, explications of lyrics and much more. This compilation is ethnographical in scope, and so includes some recordings that may only entice those with a specialist interest in this region: ethnomusicologists and the like. But much of it is extremely accessible, and even the more niche music here conveys a vital spark that is sure to attract a wider audience.