Reviews

Mabanzo

Juanita Euka

This bubbly singer jokes that she grew up ‘pretty much everywhere,’ and there are certainly a lot of influences present...

Reviewed in issue May/2022

Seengwa

Mamadou Diabaté & Percussion Mania

Born into a griot family in Burkina Faso in 1973 and a master of the balafon, Mamadou Diabaté released his...

Reviewed in issue May/2022

Tatamana

Batila

A unique and highly personal take on contemporary African music. Ange da Costa, known professionally as Batila, was born in...

Reviewed in issue April/2022

Hard Times Never Kill

Gonora Sounds

In much the same way as the late guitarist Ronnie Moipolai from Botswana, the blind guitarist and singer Daniel Gonora...

Reviewed in issue April/2022

Zone 6, Agege

KOG (Kweku of Ghana)

Soaring highlife horns and harmonies jostle with hip-hop vocals and reggae rhythms to create a thoroughly engaging and very modern...

Reviewed in issue April/2022

Hello Cabo Verde

Adê

‘Fazê Gat’, the opening track on this rather lovely album, finds Adê singing gently in a duet with fellow Cape...

Reviewed in issue April/2022

Aja Wele-Wele

Oliver Nayoka

The self-taught Nigerian guitarist Oliver Nayoka began playing in church before forming his Talented Fellows of Africa band in 2006....

Reviewed in issue April/2022

OO MP3

DJ Kainga

Polish label 1000HZ have spent the last few years quietly putting out records of incredibly interesting music from Malawi, and...

Reviewed in issue April/2022

Buganda Royal Music Revival

VARIOUS ARTISTS

The Kingdom of Buganda was founded in the 14th century and is located in the central part of what is...

Reviewed in issue April/2022

Soaring Wild Lands

Dawda Jobarteh

Dawda’s father Amadu Bansang Jobarteh was in effect the official kora player to Gambia’s first president, and he named his...

Reviewed in issue April/2022