• 
  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.
• 
  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
  
  
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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 collaboration by two of Brazil's most adventurous and appealing pop musicians has vitality and class to spare. The release celebrates twenty-five years of tropicalismo, the liberating blend of roots culture, rock-and-roll, politics, and poetry that landed both of these artists in exile under Brazil's 1970's-era military regime. The off-center oddity and spiritual power of the best tropicalismo infuse these finely-crafted tracks. "Haiti" roils with the slow, seductive undertow that marks Veloso's best work, while "Baiao Atemporal" exemplifies Gil's lighter-than-air blend of samba and reggae. Overall, neither artist dominates. Rather they resonate with playful ease whether on the retro-'60s "Wait Until Tomorrow," with its nod to Hendrix, the minimalist rock of "As Coisas," or the gentle acoustic samba of "Cinema Novo." Full translations of the lyrics find both songwriters boldly eliding between personal, political, and religious themes, commenting on music, art, and history all in one poetic continuum. Sweet and smooth but never lacking teeth, tropicalismo lives!
Contributed by Banning Eyre
Originally published in: Boston Phoenix