Afro Celt Sound System End a Chapter with ‘OVA’
With OVA, Afro Celt Sound System’s eighth LP, the long-running story comes to what seems to be its coda with the death of Simon Emmerson last year from cancer.
worldbeat
Amadou & Mariam Merge Tradition with Innovation
Malian blues duo Amadou & Mariam just dropped a greatest hits album while noting how they’re intrigued by the sounds of Billie Eilish.
Punk Troubadour Manu Chao Returns After 17 Years
Latin alternative artist Manu Chao sings for a better future on his first album in 17 years, Viva Tu. This music is meant to be lived with.
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.
Amadou & Mariam’s 10-Year-Old ‘Folila’ Has Always Been a Masterpiece
In collaborating with hip indie acts, Amadou & Mariam met with critical rebuke. Ten years on, Folila is a masterpiece that bridges the gap between two sonic worlds.
Angélique Kidjo Continues to Shine with Timely ‘Mother Nature’
The common thread on Mother Nature is Angélique Kidjo’s energy, shining through in a voice that never seems to lose strength or agility.
Afrobeat’s El’Vee Celebrate the Love of Football on New Single “Balotelli”
British-Nigerian twin sisters El’Vee bring thrilling Afrobeat textures to UK electronic club music on their latest single, “Balotelli”.
On Peter Gabriel’s “I Have the Touch” in a Time of Forbidden Touch
Peter Gabriel’s “I Have the Touch” perfectly captures the agonizing isolation that so many of us have been experiencing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz Doesn’t Miss a Beat With ‘Remain in Love’ Story
There's a whole lotta love (and maybe a little hate) in the captivating new memoir by Chris Frantz, who is an open book while talking about life with Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, and wife Tina Weymouth in this candid interview.
Art Feynman Creates Refreshing Worldbeat Pop on ‘Half Price at 3:30’
On Half Price at 3:30, Art Feynman again proves himself adept at building colorful worlds from unexpected and well-placed aural flourishes.
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.
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.