Kolumbo and the Quest to Tour Every Tiki Bar in America
As a kid in landlocked Texas, Frank LoCastro has wanted to make Exotica music. With Kolumbo’s sophomore LP, his dream of touring tiki bars is within reach.
Global Music
Pop Duo Kit Sebastian Thrill on Thoughtful ‘New Internationale’
Kit Sebastian’s New Internationale is a robust pop masterpiece, a boldly artful work that is refined but not restrained, tasteful but never bland.
Punk Troubadour Manu Chao Returns After 17 Years
Latin alternative artist Manu Chao sings for a better future on his first album in 17 years, Viva Tu. This music is meant to be lived with.
Brazil-Rooted Ayom Party with Purpose on ‘Sa.Li.Va.’
Ayom’s Sa.Li.Va. is meant to be heard and felt to move a listener literally and figuratively. Complex in its makings, its joy is straightforward.
Lollise Makes a Splash With Brilliant Debut ‘I Hit the Water’
Lollise’s I Hit the Water is brilliant, swirling, and compelling with its blend of Afrobeat, soul, and electronics. It’s a debut deserving all your attention.
El Khat Refuse to Stay Silent on Captivating ‘Mute’
El Khat’s music is unlike anyone else’s. It is a sparkling array of DIY tools that work toward vital social messages and spreading Yemeni Jewish tradition.
Claude Fontaine Wafts in Tropical Dreamscapes on ‘La Mer’
From the first notes of her sophomore album La Mer, it’s clear that singer-songwriter Claude Fontaine is a chanteuse, and it’s not a role she takes lightly.
Nicole Mitchell and Ballaké Sissoko Explore Their Connections
Bamako is the truest kind of jazz, all about movement and communication, and Nicole Mitchell and Ballaké Sissoko make for an expert team at the helm.
Ugandan Master Storyteller Ekuka Morris Sirikiti Is Spellbinding
Ekuka Morris Sirikiti’s work reminds us that he and his traditions are very much still here, not artifacts of old media but flesh and blood, spirit and sound.
Rare África Negra Tracks Come to Light on ‘Antologia Vol. 2’
África Negra always were and still are a gem of a band and one deserving of a multi-volume set of reissues: the more of them, the better.
Nigeria’s Yemi Alade Is Dauntless on ‘Rebel Queen’
Yemi Alade takes the nebulous concept of Afropop from cheap copout to something far more powerful and interesting: a sonic indexing of widespread community.
Okaidja Afroso Nurtures Living Tradition on Acoustic ‘Àbòr Édín’
Okaidja Afroso’s Àbòr Édín delivers a genuinely seamless blend of different styles and unplugged sounds, with each track dense with color and meaning.