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