Fatoumata Diawara Creates African Pop-Soul From the Diaspora
On her strongest album yet, London Ko, Fatoumata Diawara demonstrates how music from today’s African diaspora can be “Everything Everywhere All at Once”.
world music
Kimi Djabaté’s African Pop Moves Hearts and Hips on ‘Dindin’
Kimi Djabaté’s Dindin is an invitation to fellowship for Africans and beyond and a call to take care of unfinished business with kindness and compassion.
Baaba Maal Makes a Refreshing Electropop Return with ‘Being’
Worldbeat master Baaba Maal’s musical homecoming on Being is not myopic or static but embraces motion through space, time, and sound.
New Ali Farka Touré Music Surfaces on Star-Studded ‘Voyageur’
Voyageur is as complete and wondrous an album as anything Ali Farka Touré put out during his lifetime, in no small part due to the work of his son, Vieux.
Puerto Rico’s iLe Transforms From Rappers’ Kid Sister to Bolero Warrior
Formerly the sole female vocalist in rap group Calle 13, iLe has turned into a Latin alternative firebrand, pushing her art and her politics in exciting ways.
Acid Arab Bring Middle Eastern Textures to the Dance Floor on ‘٣ (Trois)’
Blending Algerian Raï and Gasba, Syrian Dabke, Turkish dance, and floor-shaking Chicago Acid moves, Acid Arab make music targeting hips with surgical precision.
GlobalFEST 2023: On Stage and Tiny Desks
This year’s edition of globalFEST, the 22-year-old music event, brought an eclectic array of artists to New York stages and NPR’s Tiny Desk series.
Ellen McIlwaine Made Music For ‘We the People’ 50 Years Ago
By combining multiple styles, playing techniques, and cultural influences, Ellen McIlwaine challenged notions of genre classification and embraced music as a “universal language”.
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The 10 Best Global Music Albums of 2022
The best global music albums demonstrate how much art comes specifically from connections between people and the importance of the places they bring with them.
Batida Features Lusophone Luminaries on Boldly Transnational ‘Neon Colonialismo’
These sounds are some of Batida’s most dramatic to date as Neon Colonialismo is made for hot, dark nights of the best kind.
Kottarashky & the Rain Dogs Play with Balkan Beats and Eclectic Pop Sounds on ‘Doghouse’
Kottarashky and the Rain Dogs dig deep into the possibilities of contemporary Balkan folk-pop assemblages on Doghouse. There’s much here that’s truly exquisite.
Putumayo Revisits Afro-Cuban Rhythms
Putumayo’s Afro-Cubano continues the breezy, tropical tour of the world, pouring new ingredients into their familiar aural elixir.
