• 
  KG Omulo: Ayah Ye!: Moving Train
  
  A synergy of funk, rock, reggae and traditional African sounds from this inventive, young singer/songwriter.
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  Various Artists: Chief Boima Presents: Lone Stars - Hipco and Gbema
  
  
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  Mamadou Diabaté: Courage
  
  Mamadou Diabate, the kora master, takes a fresh look at Mali instrumental music with his new CD Courage.
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  Various Artists: The Kankobela of the Batonga, Vol. 2
  
  Mysterious melodies from a disappearing thumb piano tradition of Southern Africa.
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  Kiran Ahluwalia: Aam Zameen: Common Ground
  
  Indo-Canadian Songwriter Combines Folk Poetry with African Rock, Jazz and more
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  M.anifest: Immigrant Chronicles: Coming to America
  
  
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  Sona Jobarteh: FASIYA
  
  West African female kora virtuoso releases an album full of grace, warmth, and passion.
• 
  Sia Tolno: My Life
  
  Kissi singer releases a strong second album full of pop-infused star power over songs of strife and triumph.
• 
  Zieti: Zemelewa
  
  Eclectic blend of Afro-infused pop out of Cote d'Ivoire.
• 
  Guelewar: Halleli N Dakarou
  
  Re-released and remastered live CD from this 80's experimental Senegambian outfit.
• 
  Tinariwen: Tassili
  
  Touareg desert legends return with an offering that is meandering, sorrowful and proud.
• 
  Los Rakas: Chancletas y Camisetas Bordada
  
  Oakland/Panamanian rappers -call it "Panabay"-- return with good results.
• 
  Cheikh Lo: Jamm
  
  The unique Senegalese singer and multi-instrumentalist crafts an eclectically excellent record.
• 
  David Rudder: Random Notes
  
  Calypsonian David Rudder returns with an album that covers various styles with excellent results.

All Reviews >>

One of the most popular Berber pop acts worlwide, Takfarinas is a powerful singer--not quite on the level of a Khaled or Mami, but definitely impressive--and his international release Yal is well produced pop music, comparable with the better rai music recorded in Europe. Takfarinas's double-necked lute (mandola) is a striking feature of his act, and he uses it to inject a beautiful roots element on tracks like "Irwihene" and "Lounes," presumably a song about Matoub Lounes, the martyred singer who was both the greatest muse of the Amazigh movement and also its most soulful vocalist. Elsewhere, Takfarinas' pop experimentations yield mixed results. "Tanoumi" is cool and melodic, if very light. "Tayri" kicks out angst-laced reggae pop. "Ayessiyi" is a hook-laden pop ditty with a bizarre electric guitar break, and "Lawliyya" is a kind of pop waltz. There are some excesses, like the anthem "Aytezyen," which plays like bad Elton John schmaltz, and the painfully bouncy "Douga." This album was released in the U.S. in 2000, but it's probably some two years older than that. He's definitely an artist with promise, and we can look forward to more mature and successful work from him in the future.
Contributed by Banning Eyre