Reviews

Nilam

ganavya

Close your eyes. Imagine the dawning of the earth: the sun rising slowly through a soft mist, spreading warmth, light...

Reviewed by Jane Cornwell in issue: August/2025

Tour of Japan

Minyo Crusaders

Japan’s min’yō folk tradition is rooted in the work songs of farmers, fishermen and miners who sang unaccompanied about their...

Reviewed by Liam Izod in issue: August/2025

Trespass

Alex Roberts

“Alex plays bloody wonderfully,” said the late great John Renbourn, of Pentangle fame, and here’s a new set that proves...

Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: August/2025

Boleros Psicodélicos II

Adrian Quesada

The bolero is the Latin American equivalent of the torch song, expressing the anguish of love and loss, and using...

Reviewed by Kim Burton in issue: August/2025

Lineage

CAIN

What’s a techno/broken beat DJ doing in Songlines? Duncan Grant aka CAIN has been making electronic music for years, but...

Reviewed by Fred Waine in issue: August/2025

Sonor

Enji

Bewitching melodies, crisp jazz arrangements and singular vocal textures made Enji’s last album (Ulaan) a critical success. Sonor pairs the...

Reviewed by Liam Izod in issue: August/2025

In a Sea of Stars

Zoë Aqua

It’s gutsy to start off a live fiddle album with a ten-minute absolute barn-burner suite, but klezmer fiddler Zoë Aqua...

Reviewed by Devon Léger in issue: August/2025

Souffles

Naïssam Jalal

French-Syrian flute player and singer Jalal follows up her stunning 2023 album Healing Rituals with this set of wind duets....

Reviewed by Jim Hickson in issue: August/2025

Retumba La Tierra

Calle Mambo

Calle Mambo are a five-piece band that combine traditional Chilean instrumentation with synthesizers and modern flourishes to create a hybrid...

Reviewed by Chris Wheatley in issue: August/2025

8 Miles from Rusk

Jason Dea West & The Siskiyou Crest

Boasting a backstory that includes younger days as a busker and freight train hopper, as well as working the circus...

Reviewed by Kevin Bourke in issue: August/2025