• 
  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
  
  
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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 >>

This album is a real treasure, its punchy, early worldbeat sound only enhancing Gil's roots-folk edge. The set leads off with a polished, super-funky update of "Aquele Abraco,'' ("I Embrace You All''), which he wrote upon leaving Brazil to go into exile in the late `60s, unsure whether he would ever return. The arrangement is masterful blend of samba and funk. Gil starts out alone with a scratchy guitar riff, setting the stage for a powerhouse, horn-section hook. Suddenly, everything stops, and Gil's unaccompanied vocal leads again, singing a lightly falling line just before the band pounces. When the dust settles, guitarist Ricardo Silveira's sly rhythmic chording propels an irresistible dance groove. The rhythmic shifts from verse to chorus and back trace a sharp, upward trajectory reaching ever more ecstatic plateaus. "Babá Ala Palá," another standout here, is boisterous funk, its modernity contrasting with lyrics that speak of African ancestor worship.*Gil wrote the tropicalia classic "Soy Loco Por Ti America'' for Caetano Veloso in 1966, but never recorded it himself until this session. As is typical in Gil's songs, the sweetness and ease of the music belies a serious message. Written in the wake of the Cuban revolution, the song talks about dreams of liberation, the freedom and redemption of people in Central and Latin America.
Contributed by Banning Eyre
Originally published in: Boston Phoenix