by Danny Wiser | May 2, 2022 | Reviews, Top Picks
One of the most iconic records of all time, the multi-talented Wonder manages to pack complex and poetic lyricism alongside intricate and catchy music… At the start of this project, the lyric “music is a world within itself with a language we all understand”...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 5, 2022 | Reviews
Crowd-pleasing electronic music with an experimental edge that makes it a cut above the average… Caribou is the stage name of Canadian electronic musician Dan Snaith, who has also recorded under the pseudonyms of Daphni and Manitoba, the latter he dropped as an...
by Danny Wiser | Feb 2, 2022 | Reviews
A respect for their nation’s ancestral and recent past are all evident within Caifanes’ music, but they bring an artistic edge to their third album that changes the game… Mexican music is great. That might sound like an overly simplistic statement...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 31, 2022 | Reviews
Taking reggae and blending it with blues, R&B, and rock’n’roll, Jamaican icons Toots and the Maytals are at their best on this resplendent album… I have always considered myself a person with adventurous film tastes, though I am aware that saying...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 21, 2022 | Reviews
Pleasant guitar pop with a bit of an edge, Polache’s debut album shows us why he is well regarded in his home nation… To most Western music fans, the popular Latin music that they will probably know best is from the United States. The genre in question is...
by Danny Wiser | Jan 9, 2022 | Reviews
On the surface, this album seems a true enigma; yet by exercising patience and acceptance its truth will surely reveal itself to you… We are yet to feature an album shrouded in such a mystery as Songs I-V. The first time I heard the album, I was unaware of the...
by Danny Wiser | Jan 7, 2022 | Reviews
Redefining the genre with a unique tenderness, Popcaan’s debut album deservedly launched him into the global public conciousness… For most people, one’s teenage years are instrumental in forming and developing one’s own music taste, as it is an...
by Joel Dwek | Dec 29, 2021 | Reviews
Afro-Cuban music inspired pianist Kishon Khan as a young man, and the result is this epic album of Latin-South Asian fusion… While the music is always the most important part of an album, there are certain extraneous details that can be important as well. Things...
by Danny Wiser | Oct 31, 2021 | Reviews
Soca from one of the world’s smallest countries – but is it up to scratch…? Joel: Going into this project, while I liked calypso music, I was not a huge fan of soca music. Over a year later, and though I would not say it’s my favourite genre, I have...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 20, 2021 | Reviews
Prescient lyricism, ambitious compositions and raw energy – Toque Profundo’s debut album is for the history books… If you have arrived to this page looking for a recommendation of an amazing Dominican classic, in some respects you have come to the...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 19, 2021 | Reviews
Mexican masters of music Maná prove their worth with an engaging and varied album, as well as an all-time great track for good measure… After lengthy research into the rock scenes in different countries across the world, it seems that Mexico, comparatively to...
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 6, 2021 | Reviews
American styles sung in Nepali by a powerhouse vocalist in the form of Arthur Gunn, this is a debut album that makes you pay attention… Born in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, Dibesh Pokharel, later known professionally as Arthur Gunn, moved to the...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 21, 2021 | Reviews
The first and only solo studio album from one of Nicaragua’s proudest sons, Salvador Cardenal Barquero’s skill for catchy tunes and bittersweet lyricism are on full display… Hailing from the world’s most triangular country, Nicaragua,...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 20, 2021 | Reviews
Los Hermanos Flores’ family unity and musical talent puts El Salvador in a well-deserved positive light… El Salvador recently hit the headlines for becoming the first country to declare bitcoin as legal tender. Though the decision is inherently risky due...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 6, 2021 | Reviews
Wintry sounds abound in this confident debut album from Riit that takes Inuk music to electro pop… Born in a tiny village in the windswept frozen tundra of Canada’s newest, largest, and most sparsely populated territory named Nunavut, Riit’s debut album is a...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 20, 2021 | Reviews
Subgenres of rock galore – Bohemia Suburbana demonstrate their supreme talent… It has become a cliché among myself and Danny that whenever I listen to a rock album that was released after 1990, I always end up comparing it to the works of iconic American...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 9, 2021 | Reviews
This Latin jazz rock fusion piece is not only entertaining, but provides a fascinating look into the Filipino-American community in 1970s California Few artists can truly be labelled ahead of their time. Hannah Gadsby famously riffs on this on her stand-up special...
by Danny Wiser | May 24, 2021 | Interviews
Indigenous musician and rights campaigner Pura Fé sat down to speak with us about her music, her days touring festivals, indigenous communities and the challenges they face, as well as the successes they have achieved… “When you have many lineages, all that...
by Danny Wiser | May 13, 2021 | Reviews
Michele Henderson’s debut album introduces the world to her impressive vocal talent… As an internationalist with a keen sense of global identity, from a young age I took great pride in my rather abnormal interest in countries other than my own. Whilst most...
by Joel Dwek | May 10, 2021 | Reviews
Taking pleasant party vibes and mixing them up a bit, Barbadian musician Rupee reveals his strengths and his flaws… In his review for the John Travolta-led sci-fi box office bomb and critical failure Battlefield Earth (which, if you haven’t seen, is genuinely...
by Danny Wiser | May 1, 2021 | Reviews
Take off your colonial-tinted Western goggles, don’t immediately judge that which you are not used to, and the record’s depths will reveal itself as more than exotic and zany ‘black music’… There is so much to say about this album, that I...
by Danny Wiser | Apr 29, 2021 | Interviews
The Grammy and Golden Globe-nominated producer, musician, and composer sat down to speak with us about his career in the field of world music fusion, the value of musicians in different cultures, and a very special gig in Senegal… “If I am working with somebody...
by Danny Wiser | Apr 8, 2021 | Interviews
Completing what might be an industry first, Light Warriors alongside a series of musical collaborators have created a project that highlights both oneness and diversity. We sat down with Light Warriors founder Erik Rabasca, as well as performers Kwadjo Spiri and...
by Danny Wiser | Apr 3, 2021 | Reviews
Jazz singer David Emmanuel blends together Caribbean music culture with soul, funk and pop, with one delicious Easter egg hidden at the end of the album… Hailing from the ‘Island of Spice’, where people report the nation smelling like one giant scented candle...
by Joel Dwek | Mar 28, 2021 | Reviews
Combining their fearsome talents with New Orleans-based musicians, Lakou Mizik aim to highlight musical links to the US, while also challenging assumptions about Haiti and its culture… The nation of Haiti has a fascinating history that is compelling by turns...
by Danny Wiser | Mar 3, 2021 | Reviews
Cricket statistics and anti-colonialist calypso, what more could you want in an album…? White people in the West, with little exposure to Calypso music, might rather naively associate it just with party times. Perhaps the most famous song from the genre that is...
by Danny Wiser | Feb 18, 2021 | Reviews
A hidden gem that demonstrates the beauty of cross-cultural collaboration… Hukwe Zawose, folk musician or fusion pioneer? That is the question posed by this underappreciated collaboration he made with celebrated Canadian producer and guitarist Michael Brook....
by Danny Wiser | Feb 5, 2021 | Reviews
Successfully fusing three seemingly disparate genres, Ojo de Buey create a perfect chilled-out album whilst showing off the riches of Costa Rican culture… When Danny recommended me this album, he described it as reggae rock fusion, and I immediately took a deep...
by Danny Wiser | Feb 2, 2021 | Reviews
Proving himself to be more than just a one hit wonder, Soca star Lyttle proves collaborations might be the key to international stardom… Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, a country whose name already sounds like they could have been a successful doo-wop band in...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 24, 2020 | Advent Calendar
PUERTO RICO: Feliz Navidad – José Feliciano… This is one of our favourite Christmas songs of all time. If you want to host a Christmas party and wish to get your guests dancing, then your best bet is to head over to your sound system and pop on José...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 23, 2020 | Reviews
Although ultimately a pan-Latin genre, Celia Cruz’s Cuban origins shine through the first truly seminal salsa album… When one thinks about salsa stars who were instrumental in the early development of the genre in New York, one nationality of performer seems to...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 20, 2020 | Advent Calendar
PANAMA: 20 De Diciembre – Rubén Blades… Panamanian salsa superstar Rubén Blades, tackled the difficult subject of the US invasion of his home nation that took place five days before Christmas in 1989. The song, unlike much of his more upbeat work, is a...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 16, 2020 | Advent Calendar
JAMAICA: Santa Claus, Do You Ever Come to the Ghetto? – Chronixx… This cover of gospel/reggae artists Carlene Davis and Trinity’s song touches on a theme that many fail to remember during the festivities. Whilst Christmas can often be a time of materialism...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 12, 2020 | Reviews
Almost two decades after initially planned, stars link-up to show off their musical talent, reminding us of the evident connection Cuba has to its African roots Arguably the best and certainly one of the most renowned world music albums comes from Cuba. In fact, Buena...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 8, 2020 | Advent Calendar
CANADA: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Michael Bublé… In some senses, the most traditional offering we could be giving you during our World Music Advent Calendar is this extraordinary rendition of the classic Christmas song Have Yourself a Merry...
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 Danny Wiser | Oct 21, 2020 | Interviews
Mexican songwriter and bassist Carlos Toledo joined us to tell us about his band’s latest album Prueba El Sabor, the salsa scene in Mexico and much more… “You don’t need to speak Spanish to enjoy and listen to the music…” That said, it might help....
by Joel Dwek | Sep 14, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
Beautiful singing from Sammy Davis Jr and gorgeous acoustic guitar playing from Laurindo Almeida – what more do you need…? What do we mean when we pick an album as ‘album of the week’ on this site? It usually means that the album in question...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 28, 2020 | Reviews
Neil Young provides flashes of brilliance amidst an otherwise pleasant plethora of folky tunes… Full disclosure, Neil Young has always been one of my big musical blind spots. What I thought knew about him and his music was limited to a handful of songs, where I...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 26, 2020 | Reviews
A bundle of fun with distant associations with the jewel in the crown of London’s annual calendar to make it just that little bit more special… Joel: Machel Montano’s music on Monk Evolution is a broadly crowd-pleasing set of fun soca tunes meant to get you up...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 17, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
There is no blurb that could do justice to this album. Listen to it ASAP… At NoiseNomad we typically review albums that are melodically driven pieces. Often, this is because many of the albums we write about are not in our mother tongue of English, but also it...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 16, 2020 | Reviews
Miss Colombia shows off immense and eclectic musical talent, whilst also exploring the complexities that many migrants have when it comes to their relationship with their homeland… For an electro-cumbia album, a record from a genre that is typically dance...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 8, 2020 | Reviews
A celebration of world music, Our World In Song takes inspiration from many sources and reinterprets it in a Chinese folk style… What is world music when you really think about it? In some ways it is undefinable and intangible, and it often finds itself used as...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 3, 2020 | Interviews
We discussed spirituality, politics and cultural appropriation, in an exclusive interview with the man behind this truly global piece of music “My ultimate purpose is music as a spiritual practice. The work of anti-racism, the work of unity, the work of healing, and...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 3, 2020 | Reviews
A beautiful musical portrait of Garifuna culture, Wátina also acts as a final tribute for its mastermind and lead singer… A great by-product of this whole enterprise to listen to music from every country is that I’m learning so much about the world and the...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 24, 2020 | Reviews
Non-conformist, raw, and overtly ’90s in its style, Morissette’s lyrics still bear immense relevance today in the ‘MeToo’ era… Typically at NoiseNomad we address artists that are not so well-known in the Western world, however, we are...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 21, 2020 | Reviews
Effortlessly cool and sharp, Getz/Gilberto provides an excellent foundation for the bossa nova genre… Sometimes, between ourselves, Danny and I talk about a syndrome that afflicts many an album. I am of course talking about ‘One Great Song Syndrome’....
by Joel Dwek | Jul 15, 2020 | Reviews
Quirky Mexican musician Esquivel creates a soundscape with his album, a delightful mix of genres from around the globe… “Space Age Bachelor Pad Music” – that is how this album, by the Mexican musician Juan García Esquivel (better known simply as Esquivel!,...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 12, 2020 | Reviews
Regardless of its festive feel, the duo’s fun Christmas album is listenable all year round thanks to its many catchy tunes Around six years ago, I heard someone, who I thought was a reasonable person, say something so ridiculous that it still enrages me to this...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 1, 2020 | Reviews
Jam-packed with catchy and memorable songs that fuse reggae and rap, Distant Relatives has a lot to offer both lyrically and musically… Sometimes an album can surprise you. Full disclosure here, I don’t like rap music very much, though there’s some I do like a...
by Danny Wiser | Jun 4, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
The Panamanian icon’s fresh take on salsa music is as refreshing as it is evocative in making us consider the realities of the so-called American Dream President Trump’s victorious 2016 election campaign brought to the surface a swathe of underlying anti-Latino...
