• 
  KG Omulo: Ayah Ye!: Moving Train
  
  A synergy of funk, rock, reggae and traditional African sounds from this inventive, young singer/songwriter.
• 
  Various Artists: Chief Boima Presents: Lone Stars - Hipco and Gbema
  
  
• 
  Mamadou Diabaté: Courage
  
  Mamadou Diabate, the kora master, takes a fresh look at Mali instrumental music with his new CD Courage.
• 
  Various Artists: The Kankobela of the Batonga, Vol. 2
  
  Mysterious melodies from a disappearing thumb piano tradition of Southern Africa.
• 
  Kiran Ahluwalia: Aam Zameen: Common Ground
  
  Indo-Canadian Songwriter Combines Folk Poetry with African Rock, Jazz and more
• 
  M.anifest: Immigrant Chronicles: Coming to America
  
  
• 
  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 >>

When this 11-piece dance band from Mozambique released their first international recording in 1994, they sounded a sweet sign of life from a land that had been brutalized by civil war for over 16 years. This follow-up, recorded in the Netherlands, continues the mood of celebration and uplift. Ghorwane are a classic African big band, omnivorous imitators who, for all their borrowings, can't help but sound original. The opening track marries South African jive and Zairean rumba, but the band's swinging horn section plainly distinguishes it from either genre. Ghorwane's adaptations of uniquely Mozambiquan rhythms ultimately define them, as in "Salabudê," a loping 6/8 number with a piano part that plays like a twisted Cuban montuno. Mozambique's Porguguese colonial past shines through in a distinctive Latin flavor, something deeper than the result of listening to a lot of Cuban records. The musicians sound sharper here than on the group's first release, and the arrangements have more clever touches, but from the luscious vocal harmonies, to the glistening guitar breaks, tripping percussion sections and warm horn fills, the magic here stems from the unmistakable intimacy that only a working band can deliver.

Sadly, the continent seems to produce fewer and fewer such groups in this era of singing stars, small combos, and studio artists. It's hard for such large African groups to tour--they virtually never come to the US anymore--so it seems a small miracle to discover one that still has the support, the resources and the will to keep developing and recording new material . The songs here are sung in Shangan and Ronga and explore post-war themes--the rediscovery of traditions, the need to air the painful experiences of war and the responsibilities that come with peace. Engaged and powerful, Ghorwane still live in the golden era of African pop and this recording lets us share in the glory.

Contributed by Banning Eyre
Originally published in: Boston Phoenix