A loveable enough effort from the Malian star.
Unlikely to stand out beside more complete N’Dour compilation sets.
Solid-enough budget compilation highlighting both known and worth-knowing talents.
The New Zealander realises a lushly arranged third LP.
Unusual supergroup delivers a set that’s more sketches than songs proper.
A great third album, buoyed by producer Victor Axelrod.
A countrified return from the Hootie & The Blowfish frontman
No great departure for the B21 graduate, but an album with plenty of variety.
A fiery musical crossroads, and an original fusion.
The fusionists are displaying increasing sophistication in their arrangements.
Their growing virtuosity and accessibility deserves to win them a wider audience.
A varied and polished second set coming 14 months after their debut.
Brazilian veterans deliver a good balance between reflective and more festive moods.
Brian Eno co-produces Kuti’s second international LP of muscular Afrobeat.
An inconsistent but frequently captivating return from the Benin legends.
Fifth album of melodrama set to pop hooks from Canadian Anglophiles.
The South African vocal group breaks new ground by looking to their past.
A mixture of the exotic and the familiar, drawing on off-beat influences.
The Christmas concept fits the 12-piece ‘little orchestra’ like a glove.
Meticulously annotated two-CD set from one of Africa’s most popular performers.
Rusby’s first disc of all-original songs is perfectly assured.
Seventh studio LP from Seattle scene power-pop stalwarts.
Belated collaboration between Malian and Cuban musicians results in a fine album.
A challenging listen but with its share of stirring moments.
Seu Jorge’s likeable latest mixes English language covers and Brazilian favourites.
You’re happy to suspend disbelief, and be carried away by his storytelling.
A cocktail of styles come to the fore on Lô’s fourth album.
As much Etoile de Dakar as most Youssou fans will ever need.
Bosnian folk with Middle Ages roots, played with a radical modern spin.
A lovely sixth record from Brazil’s great Afro-bossa veterans.
Pleasingly diverse and diverting, with barely a duff track.
This folk opera, while not without fault, is by and large a success.
Their music emanates a life-affirming positivity.
A multicultural collaboration that only sporadically shines.
As World Cup fever builds, a tribute to Brazil’s “Coltrane of soccer”.
Quite understated and beautifully played, Drever’s singing peerless throughout.
Tough, rootsy grooves and plentiful hooks give this mbaqanga music broad appeal.
Follows Tinarwen’s distinguished tracks through the Saharan sands.
Ali & Toumani lives up to and perhaps exceeds expectations.
Debut sort-of-solo offering from Gogol Bordello’s Ethiopia-enthralled bassist.
Perhaps the year’s best album of Gypsy music.
The trio are positioned at the cutting edge of Australian music.
One for collectors and obsessives only.
An endearing collection of music, supported by fascinating notes and photos.
Suffers from a dearth of memorable tunes when compared to Diwan 2.
The most mercurial and accessible figure unearthed by the ongoing Éthiopiques series.
An accessible return to form from the Indiana folk singer.
The most satisfying record he’s made in many a year.
The most engaging and fully realised album in the series.
Sweetly infectious dance music of the most democratic kind.
