Reviews
Madera
Andean music is the ultimate ex-pat music, not only because it works well in shopping arcades, but because so many...
Reviewed by Chris Moss in issue: June/2026
Water of Tyne
Magnetic North East is a new organisation dedicated to promoting the music, culture, art and heritage – the identity, then...
Reviewed by Julian May in issue: June/2026
True Born Irishman
On the strength of this thrillingly resonant collection from the Dublin-based singer and bouzouki player, it's not too hard to...
Reviewed by Kevin Bourke in issue: June/2026
Koya
The affinity between American blues and West African traditional idioms has led to some great recordings: Ali Farka Touré with...
Reviewed by Martin Sinnock in issue: June/2026
Roots
North Carolina fiddler Andrew Finn Magill makes a convincing bid for wider recognition with Roots, the first in a projected...
Reviewed by Michael Quinn in issue: June/2026
A Thousand Cranes
Çiğdem Aslan is a Turkish-born, Hackney-based singer who first came to my attention when she joined She’Koyokh, the fabulous Balkan...
Reviewed by Garth Cartwright in issue: June/2026
I am Suffering
Agongo – full name Jacob Abagnagongo – plays the kologo, a two-stringed calabash lute which is the typical instrument of...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: June/2026
Kenya-Congo Connection: From the Archives of Audio Productions, Nairobi, Kenya
There are several compilations of East African recordings that show the strong link between Congolese guitar-band music and bands located...
Reviewed by Martin Sinnock in issue: June/2026
Bottle Bank Band
Made up of four Tyneside fiddlers – Sophy Ball, Chloe Jones, David Jones and Stewart Hardy – and taking their...
Reviewed by Kevin Bourke in issue: June/2026
Shadow of Plenty
Two characteristics set the music of Furnace Mountain apart: singer and bassist Aimee Curl's tremolo-laden voice and the band's reverence...
Reviewed by Doug Deloach in issue: June/2026
