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Orchestra Baobab Celebrate 50 Years with Vinyl of '​Specialist in All Styles'

As Orchestra Baobab turn 50, their comeback album Specialist in All Styles gets a vinyl reissue.
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Music

Mali's Afel Bocoum Is at the Top of His Craft with Star-Studded 'Lindé'

Malian singer-songwriter, Afel Bocoum's Lindé is a well-polished triumph of musicianship and craft.

Music

Ghetto Kumbé's First LP Is Roots Music From the Future

What sets Ghetto Kumbé apart is their ability to mix the traditional and modern so seamlessly in their music. One minute you're on a Colombian dance floor, and the next you're singing along with the tribes of West Africa.

Music

Palestinian/Jordanian Shamstep Group 47SOUL Rail Against "Border Ctrl."

Palestinian/Jordanian electronic ensemble 47SOUL have just released a timely song in "Border Ctrl." that compares the Israeli and US border walls that cruelly separate people, underpinned with infectious shamstep beats.

Music

South African Folk Master Vusi Mahlasela Honors Home on 'Shebeen Queen'

South African folk master Vusi Mahlasela pays tribute to his home and family with township music on live album, Shebeen Queen.

Music

Nkem Njoku and Ozzobia Brothers Bring Summery Highlife to 'Ozobia Special'

Summery synths bring highlife of the 1980s on a reissue of Nkem Njoku and Ozzobia Brothers' innovative Ozobia Special.

Music

Admas' 'Sons of Ethiopia' Is the Product of Exile and 'Relocation'

A reissue of Sons of Ethiopia brings exile and the synth-heavy jazz of Washington, DC-based group Admas back into the spotlight.

Music

Italian Producer Populous Collaborates with Women Around the Globe on 'W'

Populous produces coolly electronic tracks that range from dreamy to pure dancefloor, pulling sounds from Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, and Mangia's home country of Italy.

Music

The World Comes to Johannesburg on Phenomenal Collaboration 'Keleketla!'

Consistently exciting, always surprising, and full of soul, Keleketla! is one of the most remarkable releases of the year to date.

Music

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.

Music

Bridget Kearney and Benjamin Lazar Davis Are "Still Flying" (premiere)

Bridget Kearney and Benjamin Lazar Davis share a new video for "Still Flying" featuring Stevo Atambire. The record features music the pair created in Ghana during 2019 and includes performances from Ghanaian musicians.

Music

LADAMA's "Inmigrante" Is a Vivacious Celebration of Immigrants (premiere)

In light of the recent US Supreme Court decision on DACA, Pan-Americana group LADAMA premiere "Inmigrante" to honor immigrants.

Music

Malian Legend Oumou Sangaré Glows in Stripped-down Arrangements on 'Acoustic'

On Acoustic, Oumou Sangaré's inner world shines through with particular clarity as the Songbird of Wassoulou performs stripped-down arrangements of some of the most powerful tracks she's recorded over the last 30 years.

Music

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

Tidiane Thiam's Spare and Beautiful 'Siftorde' Never Wastes a Sound

Guitarist Tidiane Thiam plays Senegalese folk over river ambiance on his nimble debut, Siftorde.

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

Les Amazones d'Afrique Celebrate International Women's Day with "Queens" (premiere)

For International Women's Day, Les Amazones d'Afrique amplify the voices of West African women in their new video for "Queens".


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