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São Paulo's Céu Returns with a Fresh Perspective on 'APKÁ!'

On Céu's APKÁ!, blissful interpretations of late-night dance music styles and high-heat MPB make for a multidimensional album of soulful energy, replete with her effortless sophistication.

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Blanco White Yearns for Home on Debut 'On the Other Side'

British singer-songwriter Blanco White's debut full-length On The Other Side seeks to translate Spanish and Latin influences into a dreamy pop sound, for better and for worse.

Music

Malian Folk Group Al Bilali Soudan Is Shockingly Electric on 'Tombouctou'

On Tombouctou, Al Bilali Soudan are amplified. The electronic buzz of plugged-in tehardent no longer sounds like the repetition of background music. Now, it starts a fire, fully energized, and with every member at full volume.

Music

Michael Olatuja Cooks Up Some "Lagos Pepper Soup" with Angélique Kidjo (premiere)

Bassist Michael Olatuja and legend Angélique Kidjo celebrate life and culture on "Lagos Pepper Soup".

Music

Groupe RTD Showcase Intercontinental Flows on 'The Dancing Devils of Djibouti'

The history and geography of Djibouti come through richly in Groupe RTD's sound, a cosmopolitan blend of East Africa, the Arab world, ports along the Indian Ocean, and the current historical moment of increasing globalization.

Music

Chouk Bwa and the Ångströmers Merge Haitian Folk and Electronic Music on 'Vodou Alé'

Haitian roots music meets innovative electronics on Chouk Bwa and the Ångströmers' Vodou Alé.

Music

Arab-American Songwriter Naima Shalhoub Sings of "Two (Rivers in the Desert)" (premiere)

Naima Shalhoub finds healing waters in her new video for the single "Two (Rivers in the Desert)".

Music

Bridget Kearney and Benjamin Lazar Davis Journey to Ghana for 'Still Flying' (album stream)

Lake Street Dive and Okkervil River members Bridget Kearney and Benjamin Lazar Davis travel to Ghana to create the exhilarating new album, Still Flying. The pair talk about their musical partnership and phenomenal new music.

Music

Natalia Lafourcade Stages a Stirring Benefit to Rescue Mexico's Musical Heritage

Un Canto Por Mexico is a true labor of love. Natalia Lafourcade led with her heart and was elegantly guided by her refined musical intelligence.

Music

John Doyle Goes Quietly Down 'The Path of Stones'

Irish music maven John Doyle plays guitar in a refined and decorous manner, even when laying down a jig or reel. There's something courteous and genteel about the whole affair.

Music

'Rejoice' with Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela

This long-delayed collaboration by two African master musicians is an occasion for jubilation. Rejoice is a posthumous reminder of what Hugh Masekela at his best could deliver and of the now 80-year-old Tony Allen's amazing vitality.

Music

Malian Desert Rockers Tamikrest Advocate for Unity and Diversity on 'Tamotaït'

Tamikrest's Tamotaït adds a welcome lyrical side to their brand of Saharan desert rock. The group advocate for both unity and diversity in wonderfully dulcet tones.

Music

Latin Folkies Cuñao Create a Luscious Listen with 'Rayuela'

Latin folk group Cuñao grounds dreamlike music in thoughtful, thematic depth on their sophomore release, Rayuela.

Music

Dumama and Kechou Explore Folk, Dub and Free Jazz on the Splendid 'Buffering Juju'

Folklore, dub, and free jazz unite in Dumama and Kechou's new concept album, Buffering Juju. The duo confront the past and the present, taking on not only legacies of pain, but legacies of thriving through it.

Music

Meet Malawi's Katawa Singers via the Retrospective 'Ufulu 1991-1997'

The electro-gospel choir, Katawa Singers, are legendary in their native Malawi, and the retrospective Ufulu 1991-1997 helps show why.

Music

Ben & Winnie Update the Tango on "La Próxima Traición" (premiere)

Tango duo Ben & Winnie revel in creative revolution in the video for new composition "La Próxima Traición".

Music

Salsa Band LPT Hints at the Genre's Future

LPT's debut album, Sin Parar, hits all the right notes for a contemporary salsa album.

Music

Greece's Evritiki Zygia Hypnotize with Thracian Psychedelic Folk on 'Ormenion'

Evritiki Zygia's Ormenion has a ferocity that speaks to the tenacity of old traditions as well as to a progressive spirit. It's nothing short of hypnotic.

Music

Afrofuturists ONIPA Offer Uplifting, High-Energy Music via 'We No Be Machine'

London-based Afrofuturist band, ONIPA frame discussions of humanity within a pan-African sonic context on their brilliant debut, We No Be Machine.

Music

Céu Goes Electropop on "Coreto" (premiere)

Brazil's Céu continues to bridge the gap between indie and mainstream with the soulful new electropop single "Coreto".

Music

Jazz Meets World Music on Jon Hassell and Farafina's 'Flash of the Spirit'

Originally released at the end of the 1980s to a bemused audience, will Jon Hassell and Farafina's Flash of the Spirit fare any better in the new millennium?

Music

Son Rompe Pera's 'Batuco' Challenges Notions of Punk and Cumbia

Marimba-driven cumbia punk sounds celebrate the old and new on Son Rompe Pera's debut album Batuco.

Music

Revisiting Buena Vista's Ibrahim Ferrer

Ibrahim Ferrer's Buenos Hermanos is a thoroughly enjoyable, perfectly realized example of Afro-Cuban music's appeal.

Music

Cuba's Ibrahim Ferrer Is Celebrated with a Re-Issue of 'Buenos Hermano'

A remixed reissue of Ibrahim Ferrer's Buenos Hermanos brings one of Cuba's most iconic voices back into the spotlight.

Music

Pour Me a Grog: The Funaná Revolt in 1990s Cabo Verde

Ostinato Records presents an array of revolutionary musicians on the impassioned funaná compilation, Pour Me a Grog.

Music

Pop Music and Cultural Resistance in Nigeria via Apala

A new Soul Jazz Records compilation presents Apala songs, created to reject colonialism and celebrate recent independence in late 1960s Nigeria.

Music

Sunny Jain's Impressive 'Wild Wild East' Is a Compelling Call for Human Rights

Brooklyn bhangra heavyweight Sunny Jain draws on jazz, rock, and folk in a new, anti-xenophobia album Wild Wild East.

Music

Lord Invader and His Calypso Group Go On 'Calypso Travels'

Classic calypso from Lord Invader brings us incisive historical commentary with a new reissue of 1960's Calypso Travels.

Music

Exploring Tuareg Music of the Southern Sahara

A vinyl reissue of Tuareg Music of the Southern Sahara sheds light on the folk origins of today's thriving Saharan rock scene.

Music

'Amazones Power' Is a Fresh Modern Chapter for Les Amazones d'Afrique

New voices bring fresh new perspectives to all-woman powerhouse supergroup L'Amazones d'Afrique on their bold sophomore release Amazones Power.

Music

Sound Portraits from Bulgaria: A Journey to a Vanished World, 1966-1979

Smithsonian Folkways chronicles 50 years of folk recordings on Sound Portraits from Bulgaria. It is a truly essential addition to any global folk collection.

Music

Alefa Madagascar!: Salegy, Soukous and Soul from the Red Island 1974-1984

Strut Records compilation Alefa Madagascar! traces cultural flows and musical history in funk and folk, and shows a range of the nation's popular music styles from 1974 to 1984.

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