Fatoumata Diawara adds collaboration to the mix on an album of reconciliation and largesse. “It’s time for me to invite you… into my world,” she tells Lucy Hallam
Patrick Jered ventures into Madhya Pradesh in India to unearth the legendary bin-baja harp, widely considered as a pariah instrument
Hark to this parcel of rogues, as we place the career of these ever-evolving English folk-rock icons under the microscope
Portuguese singer Sara Correia reveals the toughness and will that saw her journey from the high-rise blocks of working-class Lisbon to the global stage
Tipped as one of London’s hottest new groups, 47SOUL talk to Yousif Nur about the stresses and challenges of being a touring band from the Middle East, and how they’ve become pioneers of shamstep and champions of the Palestinian cause
A key figure in Ali Farka Touré’s band, Afel Bocoum is releasing a long-awaited and rare solo album that finds him stepping into the limelight. He talks to Bram Posthumus about living in exile in Bamako, the situation in Mali and his desire to reconnect with the world
2020 marked the centenary of the birth of the ‘Queen of Fado,’ Amália Rodrigues. Simon Broughton speaks to Mariza, the heir to Amália’s crown, and fado historian Rui Vieira Nery about her legacy
Meeting Ibibio Sound Machine, the groove-riding octet funking up southern Nigerian culture in the shadow of adversity
Abel Selaocoe has made a name for himself as an innovator who straddles the worlds of Western classical and South African heritage. Jo Frost catches up with the cellist to talk about his debut solo album
Taiko, the theatrical Japanese drumming spectacle, is seeing a global revival of interest. Michael Church speaks to members of Kodo, the group at the forefront of its resurgence. Photos by Takashi Okamoto & Nishita Taro
Celebrating 60 years of Fania Records, we ask Daymé Arocena, Silvana Estrada, Roberto Fonseca, iLe, Meridian Brothers, Orquesta Akokán, Nathy Peluso, Ana Tijoux and many others to pick some Fania classics. Introduction by Erin Cobby. Interviews by Russ Slater Johnson
The new voice of Mali, Rokia Koné, teamed up with producer-to-the-stars Jacknife Lee for an album sure to go down as a classic. Jane Cornwell catches up with this seemingly improbable, though quite inspired, pop partnership. Photography by Karen Paulina Biswell
These 13 inspirational albums received the maximum of five stars when reviewed in Songlines magazine in 2018, featuring Ry Cooder, Mélissa Laveaux, Afro-Cuban All Stars, I’m With Her and more
South African cellist Abel Selaocoe tells Emma Rycroft about the origins and inspirations behind his new album, Hymns of Bantu: “I wanted to celebrate all the people at home who really influenced me”, he explains
Brazilian music is a whole world of its own. It may be best known for samba – the irrepressible rhythm of carnival – but that's only a fraction of the story
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