Reviews

Calles del Olvido

Alejandro Valdés

Alejandro Valdés grew up in the province of Camagüey in central Cuba, playing percussion and bass before picking up guitar...

Reviewed in issue October/2021

The Rich are Only Defeated When Running for Their Lives

Anthony Joseph

The eighth album by British-Trinidadian Renaissance man Anthony Joseph takes its title from a line by legendary Trinidadian theorist CLR...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2021

Echo Land

Bùmarang

This is a strong debut from Montréal-based Celtic trio Bùmarang (yes, the Scots Gaelic name does mean ‘Boomerang’), featuring David...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2021

Okuté

Okuté

The debut album from some of Havana’s finest rumberos, the self-titled Okuté explores the age-old traditions of rumba and Santería...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2021

Beyond the Blue

Brain Damage meets Big Youth

Jamaican toasting legend Big Youth collaborates here with travelling French producers Brain Damage and Sam Clayton Jr in a heady...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2021

Picaflor

Martin Bruhn

If this album had been credited to Los Hijos de Bruhn you’d be in no doubt that this is the...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2021

Red Hills Road

Sly & Robbie

As Jamaica’s premier rhythm section since the mid-70s, Sly & Robbie revolutionised reggae several times over, leading to renowned collaborations...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2021

Euphoric Ouroboric

David Wax Museum

David Wax and Suz Slezak are the husband-and-wife duo fronting the Mexo-Americana troupe David Wax Museum. Recorded in the couple’s...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2021

Fire Over Babylon: Dread, Peace and Conscious Sounds at Studio One

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Studio One was known as the Jamaican Motown because countless artists emerged from its training ground, including Bob Marley and...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2021

Changüí: The Sound of Guantánamo

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Kick back, light a Cohiba. Open the rum. This new release from Petaluma Records is a proper deep dive into...

Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2021