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Reviews

Review of Fela Box Set 6: Curated by Idris Elba

Fela Box Set 6: Curated by Idris Elba

Fela Kuti

Partisan

Rating: ★★★★

Erykah Badu did it. So did Brian Eno, Questlove, Ginger Baker and Coldplay’s Chris Martin. The latest celebrity to curate...

Reviewed by Jane Cornwell in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Melodies of Light

Melodies of Light

Yosef-Gutman Levitt & Omri Mor

Soul Song Records

Rating: ★★★★

Having only recently reviewed Levitt’s Soul Song (in #190) I was surprised and delighted to see he’d released a second...

Reviewed by Tony Gillam in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Imphilo

Imphilo

Bholoja

Top of the World

One World Records

Rating: ★★★★★

Even though Swaziland has been renamed Eswatini, Bholoja – real name Mbongiseni Ngubane – remains the king of ‘Swazi Soul’,...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Grande Coisa

Grande Coisa

Dorea

ajabu!/Budde Music

Rating: ★★★

The title of the Swedish label’s latest Brazilian release translates as Big Deal! This self-effacing singer-songwriter has waited till age...

Reviewed by Mark Sampson in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Śaranam

Śaranam

Hashshashin

Art as Catharsis

Rating: ★★★

This is the third album from the Sydney-based trio. Śaranam means ‘to take refuge’ in Sanskrit and this is an...

Reviewed by Alexandra Petropoulos in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Malayeen

Malayeen

Malayeen

Discrepant

Rating: ★★★★

Inspired by a love for the work of trailblazing Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid, Lebanese trio Malayeen employed a similarly bold...

Reviewed by Paul Bowler in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Outta Sync

Outta Sync

Don Letts

Cooking Vinyl

Rating: ★★★★

‘A soundtrack to my mind, with some wicked bass lines,’ is how Don Letts describes his debut album, recorded at...

Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Melkutus Party

Melkutus Party

Jenni Venäläinen

Nordic Notes

Rating: ★★

The zither-like kantele has its roots deep in Finnish history and Venäläinen, on her debut album, embraces its beauty and...

Reviewed by Fiona Talkington in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Lullabies

Lullabies

Abigail Lapell

Outside Music

Rating: ★★★

Lullabies – cradle songs – a term derived from the middle English ‘lullen’ (lull) and ‘bye’ (near), and, much further...

Reviewed by Tim Cumming in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Koinonia

Koinonia

Up High Collective

San-kofa Rhythm Records

Rating: ★★★★

The brainchild of producer duo Koen De Petter & Renaldo Maria, Up High Collective have existed in various forms and...

Reviewed by Olivia Cheves in issue: January/February/2024

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