Wednesday, October 26 2011
Asa: Beautiful Imperfection
Listeners hoping for something more from this Parisian Nigerian should temper their expectations.
Tuesday, September 6 2011
Various Artists: Highlife Time Vol. 2
Essential West African music that spanned generations and influenced many. Look for it in your record store’s smallest or most invisible sections.
Tuesday, August 30 2011
Various Artists: The Rough Guide to African Guitar Legends
The boundary for this compilation is huge, and surrounds all of Africa, a continent with more guitarists and guitar styles than anyone can easily count.
Tuesday, November 23 2010
‘Lost Kingdoms of Africa’: The Very Concept of ‘Kingdom’ May Have Originated In Southern Africa
The world needs to comprehend the complex, bloody history of the so-called 'Dark Continent', with all its attendant ironies and contradictions.
Monday, June 28 2010
Various Artists: Nigeria Special Volume 2 / Nigeria Afrobeat Special
These two compilations unearth more hidden gems from the recording boom that followed the end of the Biafran War in Nigeria. Deep roots rock, funky sermonizing, and even operatic folk-fusion make these collections as necessary as any in Soundway's impressive catalog.
Thursday, May 27 2010
Tony Allen: Secret Agent
Rarely has a music of resistance been so musically irresistible. Secret Agent is a brilliant album.
Thursday, March 18 2010
Various: Black Man’s Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti
Steel pan and cumbia versions of Fela Kuti classics, alongside more orthodox Afrobeat workouts, provide delights for crate diggers and further evidence of Fela's enduring influence.
Friday, April 24 2009
Various Artists: Marvellous Boy: Calypso From West Africa
The tracks are stubbornly various, each song unexpected.
Wednesday, September 24 2008
Sir Victor Uwaifo: Guitar Boy Superstar 1970-1976
This ekassa sits on a borderline between the tightness of West Africa’s acoustic dance bands, and loose-limbed rock.
