Reviews | Songlines

Reviews

Review of ¡Saoco! The Bomba and Plena Explosion in Puerto Rico 1954-1966

¡Saoco! The Bomba and Plena Explosion in Puerto Rico 1954-1966

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Top of the World

Vampisoul

Rating: ★★★★★

Decades before Ricky Martin and reggaeton, the little island of Puerto Rico bounced its booty to the Afro-Spanish rhythms of...

Reviewed by Chris Moss in issue: Nov/Dec/2012

Review of Mongolia: Chants Diphonique et Instruments Traditionels

Mongolia: Chants Diphonique et Instruments Traditionels

Chinbat Baasankhuu & Bayarbaatar Davaasuren

Frémeaux & Associés

Rating: ★★★★

Recorded by the composer, lecturer and ornithologist Bernard Fort in Mongolia and Lyon, this disc features two top professional musicians...

Reviewed by Rachel Harris in issue: Nov/Dec/2012

Review of Ferahnak

Ferahnak

Bekir Sahin Baloglu & Nurullah Kanik

Felmay

Rating: ★★

With the continuing activity of reissues of archival recordings and the increased circulation of musicians from Turkey, a CD like...

Reviewed by Francesco Martinelli in issue: Nov/Dec/2012

Review of Hidden Legacy

Hidden Legacy

Harmonia

Folk Sounds Records

Rating: ★★★★

Eclectic would be the right word to describe this offering from Cleveland-based Eastern European collective Harmonia. For once, the term...

Reviewed by Tom Newell in issue: Nov/Dec/2012

Review of A Vontade Superstar

A Vontade Superstar

Bruno Morais

Black Brown & White

Rating: ★★

The Sao Paulo music scene is currently thriving, with artists such as Criolo, Tulipa and Céu getting international releases and...

Reviewed by Russ Slater in issue: Nov/Dec/2012

Review of East North

East North

Tim Dorofeyev’s Project

Leo Records

Rating: ★★★

There has always been an eclectic tinge, and a flair for the complex and wildly virtuosic in Russian jazz. This...

Reviewed by Kim Burton in issue: Nov/Dec/2012

Review of The Rough Guide to Undiscovered World

The Rough Guide to Undiscovered World

VARIOUS ARTISTS

World Music Network

Rating: ★★★★

The Rough Guide to Un dis cove red World is a showcase compilation. It is the CD companion to record...

Reviewed by Nathaniel Handy in issue: Nov/Dec/2012

Review of Insofar

Insofar

Sundog

Editions Penguin Cafe

Rating: ★★★

One interesting aspect about seeing Sundog – Arthur Jeffes on piano and violinist Oli Langford – perform live is hearing...

Reviewed by Russell Parton in issue: Nov/Dec/2012

Review of Alma

Alma

Carminho

EMI

Rating: ★★★★

It’s hard to say why Carminho’s second effort seems a little pale alongside her debut, Fado from 2009. Perhaps the...

Reviewed by Gongalo Frota in issue: Nov/Dec/2012

Review of Upon a Stranger Shore

Upon a Stranger Shore

Maz O’Connor

Demon Barber Sounds

Rating: ★★

O’Connor is a member of a big folk family from Cumbria – her brother Joe’s band Last Orders won the...

Reviewed by Nathaniel Handy in issue: Nov/Dec/2012

Subscribe from only £7.50

Start your journey and discover the very best music from around the world.

Subscribe

View the Current
Issue

Take a peek inside the latest issue of Songlines magazine.

Find out more