by Joel Dwek | Sep 17, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Latin jazz with some infectious drumbeats, percussionist Cándido shows off his immense talent and flair for fusion music… When I first listened to the album Beautiful by Cuban percussionist Cándido, who passed away last year at the grand old age of 99, the...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 2, 2021 | Reviews
Keeping it in the family, the aunt and niece duo of Las Hijas Del Sol remind us of the culture of the persecuted Bubi people, whilst honouring their obvious Hispanic influences… You may not know much about the small African nation of Equatorial Guinea, but you...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 22, 2021 | Reviews
Blurring the boundaries between tradition and progression, the Uzbek diva shows us her country by combining old songs with a new sound… When it comes to the field of acting, it is said that no actor is more than six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. When...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 1, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Full of interesting musical ideas and consummate musicianship, Under Byen’s third album certainly succeeds in creating an intellectually and emotionally engaging masterpiece… The avant-garde stylings of Danish post rock group Under Byen (which translates...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 9, 2020 | Advent Calendar
GREECE: Hronia Polla – Sakis Rouvas… For many around the world, Christmas Day is the day of giving and receiving gifts, however, not so in the Hellenic Republic (AKA Greece, to us simple folk). In fact, exchanging presents takes place on New Years’ Day,...
by Joel Dwek | Dec 8, 2020 | Reviews
Fleet-footed finger-work abound, Carlos Paredes takes us on a breakneck tour of Portuguese fado music… When I was 12, I went on a school trip to Barcelona, and one of the events we participated in during the trip was to attend a concert of flamenco dancing and...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 24, 2020 | Reviews
Estonian electronic rock outfit Sopruse Puiestee attempt many things in the form of an album with many overarching themes and ideas… Sopruse Puiestee are a band from Estonia, a small nation on the Baltic Sea, near their linguistic brethren, Finland. Formed in...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 29, 2020 | Reviews
Easy, relaxed vibes pulsate through this collection of upbeat, jazzy tunes… The Caribbean islands have a myriad of musical styles associated with them, from reggae and calypso, to dancehall to dub, but one of the most popular styles of recent years has been soca...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 13, 2020 | Reviews
A mixture of Melanesian melancholy and pop bangers, George Telek shows why he tore up the music scene across all of Oceania… From the opening drumbeat of the first song, Sonny, I knew I was in for a treat. In fact, just looking at the album artwork you know...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 5, 2020 | Reviews
One can understand why ex-Talking Heads front man David Byrne wanted to showcase Susana Baca’s work after listening to this painfully poetic album in which Africa meets the Andes… I recently heard a quote from American civil rights activist Maya Angelou...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 3, 2020 | Reviews
Hugely listenable and emotionally genuine, Damien Rice offers up a satisfying set of songs about sadness and love… O, Damien Rice’s debut album from 2002, mines a very traditional idea for inspiration, that of heartbreak, sadness, melancholy. What he may lack in...
