by Joel Dwek | May 5, 2022 | Reviews
From traditional roots reggae to afrobeat to sweet ballads, Alpha Blondy’s peace-seeking album has it all… When we think of visionaries for peace, our minds are often drawn to figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela whose ideas fortunately got to...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 20, 2022 | Reviews
Adapting the music of West Africa’s griots for the modern day can be a challenge, but Noura Mint Seymali proves herself worthy Like many artists we cover, Mauritanian griot Noura Mint Seymali comes from a line of well-respected musicians. In fact, for those of...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 16, 2022 | Reviews
Liberia’s only funk rock band Kapingbdi dazzle on this album which remained hidden away for decades… During the course searching for a studio album from each country, Liberia began to achieve a reputation between us at NoiseNomad for being something of a...
by Danny Wiser | Jan 27, 2022 | Reviews
The brothers record centuries of inherited musical wisdom on this pleasant kora album… A trend one might expect to find when searching for the best albums from every country in the world is that it would be challenging to find many good ones recorded in the...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 18, 2022 | Reviews
Highlighting an ancient musical form and fusing it with modern sounds, Ghanaian four-piece Alostmen take the kologo into the 21st Century… Africa is a continent of myriad musical traditions. One of the most interesting parts of this project has been exploring...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 6, 2022 | Reviews
Putting his own spin on both electronic music and the folk traditions of Niger, Hama has created an singular album that is all his own Niger is often associated musically with the tishoumaren scene (also known as desert blues) that has grown popular especially in the...
by Danny Wiser | Oct 14, 2021 | Reviews
Via the The Touré-Raichel Collective, Africa meets the Middle East in a glorious symposium of creative exchange… Collaboration, although a beautiful notion in principle, is sometimes a tricky thing to get right. There is always a risk that ego gets in the way...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 16, 2021 | Reviews
Dobet Gnahoré’s unorthodox musical education and fiery natural talent make for an album that mixes a wide range of African styles within a modern sensibility… When thinking about what to write for this review, I kept thinking back to a question I have...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 17, 2021 | Reviews
Malouma provides an insight into what a progressive Mauritania could sound like, whilst still paying homage to the country’s beautiful musical traditions… Though I’m aware of the dangers of ranking different nations’ or regions’ music, as each...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 11, 2021 | Interviews
Band members Ashade Pearce, Jahson Gbassay Bull, and Reuben M. Koroma, all formerly displaced by the Sierra Leonean Civil War of the nineties, joined us to reflect upon their inspirational journey… “Music is the language of the soul, it touches the minds of...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 22, 2021 | Reviews
When in the company of Malinda Jackson Parker, throw away all your preconceptions of what music should be – where we’re going we don’t need rules… The music of Congress-woman Malinda Jackson Parker can easily be dismissed, laughed off, not...
by Danny Wiser | Jun 7, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Marxist policy often suppresses creative freedom, Victor Démé’s distinguished self-titled album proves itself as the exception to this rule… Over the weekend Burkina Faso has entered into the global consciousness under rather tragic consequences, when the...
by Danny Wiser | May 10, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Humorous, uplifting, and endearing – this palm wine record is the perfect accompaniment to a relaxing day in the sun The Beatles’ Abbey Road, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours arguably are three of the most iconic album covers of all...
by Joel Dwek | Apr 26, 2021 | Reviews
The swansong for one of Mali’s finest musical exports, Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux demonstrate exactly why they are still a world music lodestar… In the history of African popular music, there is perhaps no band more influential than Les Ambassadeurs....
by Joel Dwek | Apr 15, 2021 | Reviews
Wizkid establishes himself as one of the mighty trio of Afrobeats superstars, putting the genre into the Western public conciousness in style… Danny: In 2018, I had the absolute pleasure of living with a Nigerian prince. Whilst in the wake of the Duke of...
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 | Mar 30, 2021 | Reviews
Afro-pop superstar Angelique Kidjo combines disparate American genres together seamlessly, highlighting their African origins… Angelique Kidjo is a titan of the world music scene (no matter how much she might hate the term used to describe the genre in which she...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 20, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
State-supported coladeira music that challenges themes of injustice and colonialism across the globe… Formed in 1969 in the small island nation of Cape Verde, Os Tubarões, meaning ‘The Sharks’, went on to become Cape Verde’s most popular singing group, in no...
by Danny Wiser | Feb 15, 2021 | Reviews
Despite dark times, the legacy of an anti-colonialist revolutionary lives on through this beautiful album, reminding Bissau-Guineans to hold onto their hope… Guinea-Bissau gained infamy in recent years for becoming the centre of the global drug trade, with a...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 21, 2021 | Reviews
The subjective nature of music enjoyment is highlighted in this afro-jazz masterpiece… It is no exaggeration to say that Orchestra Baobab are icons of worldwide music. Established in 1970 as the house band of the Dakar-based Baobab Club, the band’s mix of...
by Joel Dwek | Dec 25, 2020 | Reviews
A celebration of the kora and Gambian music in general, Jobarteh manages to keep true to tradition while also managing to adapt the music for the times… The Gambia is mainland Africa’s smallest nation. Shaped snake-like, as if acting as a buffer for the Gambia...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 14, 2020 | Advent Calendar
NIGERIA: Betelehemu – African Children’s Choir… Based on a Yoruban folk text, Betelehemu is a syncretic hymn about the birthplace of Jesus. Christianity is followed by just under half of the African continent, and as such Christmas remains an...
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 | Nov 23, 2020 | Interviews
Distraught and dismayed by the brutality of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in his native Nigeria, solicitor turned singer/songwriter Jon Scott’s latest EP emphasises the need to unite and bring harmony, almost serving as a prophecy for recent events in his...
by Danny Wiser | Nov 22, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
Balla Et Ses Balladins’ bittersweet masterpiece celebrates liberation from colonialism… Whilst on the surface, this might seem a fun album with songs that were at the epicentre of Guinea’s “bar dancing music” scene, with simply not much more of a story to...
by Danny Wiser | Oct 30, 2020 | Reviews
Dubbed ‘The Sultan of Shred’, Bombino earns this title in his epic second studio album as he simultaneously shows off modern Tuareg culture and his musical skills… Musicians are often capable of making powerful comments in the lyrics of their music that elevate...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 4, 2020 | Reviews
Ghana’s very own Bizung talking drum chief Mohammed Alidu flexes his drum tapping fingers, as well as his songwriting chops in this fusion album… Mohammed Alidu’s music is particularly interesting because of his musical heritage, one I confess I knew...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 29, 2020 | Reviews
What’s the link between the Vaudou culture of Togo and the funk music of the 1970s? Vaudou Game show us where the two can meet… A while ago, we reviewed Benin International Musical’s first album BIM #1, and it was in that review where we touched upon the...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 25, 2020 | Reviews
Aggressive, punky beats and passionate lyrics are Karima 2G’s forte – but what can she tell us about the state of Italy today…? Italy is a country that I love. I’ve been lucky enough to spend time there both on holiday, as an exchange student with a...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 23, 2020 | Reviews
Fun and upbeat, Benin International Musical have made an album that brings Beninese culture to the forefront… Upon listening to BIM #1 for the first time with my uneducated Western ears, it seemed to me to be a straightforward Afrobeats (also known as Afro-Pop,...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 19, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
The King of mbalax proves why he is arguably Africa’s greatest living musical export… For those who want to explore African music, Youssou N’Dour’s unique sound should be as much as a staple of one’s introduction to music from Africa as Ali Farka Touré or Fela...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 11, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
A towering figure of music, politics and culture, Fela Kuti shows both a political and a philosophical side on this interesting and innovative album… Where to start with Fela Kuti? He is one of those names in music where the person is as fascinating as the...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 8, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
Lamomali, a Malian-French collaboration, shows that traditional music can be incorporated into modern pop in a manner that breathes new life into the genre of world music… I have started to come around to the notion that the term ‘world music’ is, for the most...
by Danny Wiser | Jun 4, 2020 | Reviews
Cesária Évora takes us on a musical journey as we are challenged to reflect on the eternal beauty of home, loved ones from our past, as well as the gloomy history behind the international influences of her music… As Black Lives Matter protests take place all...
