Reviews
Biyedi
With a griot ancestry and over 30 years of records to his name, Kerfala Kanté deserves his high regard in...
Reviewed in issue June/2026
Highlife Roots Revival
Palm-wine music was the acoustic precursor of Ghanaian highlife and was named after a homemade alcoholic beverage. Koo Nimo, now...
Reviewed in issue June/2026
Kuetumbari
Guitarist Jeannot Bel is one of a handful of fine Congolese musicians based in the UK who are managing to...
Reviewed in issue June/2026
Songs For Desert Refugees
The conflict in the southern Sahara between Malian government forces and the Touareg-led NMLA revolutionary army is reaching crisis point....
Reviewed in issue June/2026
Summertime: Best of Black Umfolosi
Asked to name two southern African a capella choirs, many will struggle after nominating Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Songlines readers might...
Reviewed in issue June/2026
Mabruk
In the last issue, Songlines reviewed the latest album from Mariem Hassan, a leading singer and activist in the independence...
Reviewed in issue June/2026
Bouger le Monde!
Many Songlines'reaiers will first have encountered Staff Benda Bilili on YouTube, with that extraordinary video showing the group singing ‘Na...
Reviewed in issue June/2026
Anewal – The Walking Man
It’s unclear whether guitarist and vocalist Alhousseini Mohamed Anivolla has left Etran Finatawa for a solo career or if this...
Reviewed in issue June/2026
Ethiopia Super Krar
The stripped-down acoustic approach taken here seems primed to deliver a raw yet updated, blast of Ethiopian blues, focusing as...
Reviewed in issue June/2026
Sufi Brotherhood Chant
In Senegal one immediately feels the strong presence of the mystic brotherhoods of Sufism. The taxi that takes you from...
Reviewed in issue June/2026
