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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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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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Sona Jobarteh:
FASIYA
West African female kora virtuoso releases an album full of grace, warmth, and passion.
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Sia Tolno:
My Life
Kissi singer releases a strong second album full of pop-infused star power over songs of strife and triumph.
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Zieti:
Zemelewa
Eclectic blend of Afro-infused pop out of Cote d'Ivoire.
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Guelewar:
Halleli N Dakarou
Re-released and remastered live CD from this 80's experimental Senegambian outfit.
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Tinariwen:
Tassili
Touareg desert legends return with an offering that is meandering, sorrowful and proud.
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Los Rakas:
Chancletas y Camisetas Bordada
Oakland/Panamanian rappers -call it "Panabay"-- return with good results.
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Cheikh Lo:
Jamm
The unique Senegalese singer and multi-instrumentalist crafts an eclectically excellent record.
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David Rudder:
Random Notes
Calypsonian David Rudder returns with an album that covers various styles with excellent results.
All Reviews >>
Mahmoud Ahmed
Éthiopiques 6: Mahmoud Ahmed, Almaz (1973)
Buda Musique,
This set assembles the nine titles form Ahmed’s first album (1973), plus the A and B sides of his first single (1971). It’s enough to show why this former shoe-shine boy who got his start standing in for the absent singer at a bar where he worked as a handyman, went on to become one of Ethiopia’s most enduring and beloved vocal stars. The1971 songs find Ahmed flogging 4/4 time and imitating American rock ‘n roll and funk. But the later material is far more subtle and interesting, full of dark modalities, hypnotic 6/8 rhythms layered with drones and evocative ostinattos, and best of all, an intense, smoldering voice that at once encompasses the passionate exuberance of the era, and the horrifying sadness to come. Volume 7, also Ahmed, is a classic, but to my ear, his sound never really surpasses these first recordings.
Contributed by
Banning Eyre