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Reviews

Review of Now

Now

Ellika, Solo & Rafael

Top of the World

Country & Eastern

Rating: ★★★★

The Swedish fiddler Ellika Frisell and the Senegalese kora player Solo Cissokho won a BBC Radio 3 Award for World...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014

Review of Texas Gypsy Fire

Texas Gypsy Fire

Oliver Rajamani

Jaro Records

Rating: ★★★

Japanese dub, Taiwanese rap, Mexican ska… we’ve heard them all. And, in the mix-and-match free-for-all of world music, there are...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014

Review of Common Decency

Common Decency

Hackney Colliery Band

Wah Wah 45s

Rating: ★★★★

From New Orleans to Rajasthan, via remote Romanian villages and north-of-England colliery towns, there are brass bands playing all over...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014

Review of Reels to Ragas

Reels to Ragas

Red Note Ensemble & Kuljit Bhamra

Keda

Rating: ★★★★

The musicians on this disc have great pedigrees. Red Note are one of Scotland’s best contemporary music ensembles, and Kuljit...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014

Review of A New Day

A New Day

Winston McAnuff & Fixi

Chapter Two/Wagram Music

Rating: ★★★★

Few will remember Winston McAnuff’s roots reggae career. The veteran singer has a soulful voice that sounds more like Bobby...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014

Review of Untold Things

Untold Things

Jocelyn Pook

Real World Records

Rating: ★★★★

Jocelyn Pook’s glittering musical career has won her praise and awards in the pop and classical worlds; she has film...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014

Review of From Another World: A Tribute to Bob Dylan

From Another World: A Tribute to Bob Dylan

Various Artists

Top of the World

Buda Musique

Rating: ★★★★

Great songs are like good bones – you can hang anything on them. What excites most about this collection of...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014

Review of Some Part of Something

Some Part of Something

North Atlantic Trio

Bird Creek Records

Rating: ★★★★

American-born, Scotland-based harpist Cheyenne Brown, dobro player and guitarist Dave Currie and master percussionist Dave Boyd first got together as...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014

Review of Calypsos, Boogies, Rockers, Ballads & Bluebeat: The Rise of Black Music in Britain

Calypsos, Boogies, Rockers, Ballads & Bluebeat: The Rise of Black Music in Britain

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Rock History

Rating: ★★

There has been a surge of interest over recent years in the roots of black music in Britain. The London...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014

Review of Jazz and All That

Jazz and All That

The Sachal Studios Orchestra

Sachal Studios

Rating: ★★★

You could treat the surprise success of the Sachal Studios Orchestra’s version of Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take Five’ either as a...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014

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