Reviews

Iquitos – Amazonía – Perú

Ranily su Conjunto Tropical

Through the 1970s Raul Llerena (aka Ranil) took his band up and down the Amazon from their base in Iquitos,...

Reviewed in issue June/2020

Lua Cheia

Let Drum Beat

Recorded in São Paulo, the first crowd-funded album by the London-based group Let Drum Beat mixes maracatu, forró de rabeca,...

Reviewed in issue June/2020

Button Box Breakdown: Old Time Music on the Cajun Accordion

Peter Croft with Mark Jones & Hazel Fairbairn

Button Box Breakdown is an understated and unpretentious instrumental album performed with charm and plenty of musical dexterity. Peter Croft...

Reviewed in issue June/2020

A Bela Vida

Aquarela

It's not ofen that the oboe takes the lead in any genre and its pinched tone can sometimes be too...

Reviewed in issue June/2020

Rayuela

Cuñao

Named after a novel by Julio Cortázar in which the narrative can be read in two different ways, the second...

Reviewed in issue June/2020

Curandero

Orkesta Mendoza

The US/Mexican frontier is a hotspot of hope and anguish, drugs and guns, rednecks and refugees. Orkesta Mendoza, formed by...

Reviewed in issue June/2020

Asì Seguimos Andando

Las Famatinas

Named after a mountain in Argentina's north-west, this impressively talented all-female trio pay homage in everything they do to that...

Reviewed in issue June/2020

Cadence Revolution 1973-1981: Disque Debs International Vol 2

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Volume two of Strut's exploration of Disque Debs International recordings - the longest-running and most prolific label of the French...

Reviewed in issue May/2020

AmarElo

Emicida

The release of AmarElo was preceded by a run of singles, each very different to the last, which left me...

Reviewed in issue May/2020

MandolinMan Plays Bossa Nova

MandolinMan

As their name might suggest, the Belgian quartet MandolinMan are all mandolin players. Their first album, Old Tunes, Dusted Down,...

Reviewed in issue May/2020