Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band - Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band (Strut Records)

Judging from the cover photo of 'Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band', Pat Thomas could have been Isaac Hayes' African twin, but with Hayes' southern soul music, the music of this Ghanaian has nothing in common.

Various Artists - The Complete Handsworth Explosion (Reggae Archive Records)

A vinyl reissue of the two volumes of 'Handsworth Explosion', originally compiled and released by Black Symbol in the early nineteen eighties, already appeared on the Reggae Archive Records last year, but the label now also adds a CD version.

Sekou Kouyate - Sabaru (One World Records)

Yours truly, got to know Guinean kora virtuoso Sekou Kouyate thanks to 'Faya', the 2013 album he recorded with New York rapper Joe Driscoll.

Animo Cruz - Why Not EP (Roots Musician Records)

'Morning Light', Animo's debut EP, contained mainly lovers tunes, but meanwhile the band rechristened itself Animo Cruz (referring to Santa Cruz, California, the band's hometown) and on successor 'Why Not' sounds a lot more militant.

Jashwha Moses with Full Force and Power - The Rising (Sugar Shack Records)

For this new album, a mix of studio and live recordings, Bristolian reggae bard Jashwha Moses assembled his own backing band: Full Force and Power.

Ester Rada - Ester Rada (Discograph)

Ester Rada is an Israeli singer/actress of Ethiopian origin presenting her long player debut with this self-titled album.

Raggabund - Buena Medicina (Irievibration Records/Grooveattack)

Spanish reggae from Germany? Oh well, why not! Raggabund is the brainchild of Paco 'El Criminal' Mendoza and Don Caramelo, two brothers with South American roots from Munich.

Various Artists - The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume One (Reggae Archive Records)

With 'The Bristol Reggae Explosion' the Bristol Archive Records label already mapped Bristol's reggae scene, and sister label Reggae Archive Records is now doing the same for the Midlands.

Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Uptown Top Ranking (17 North Parade/VP Records)

With 'Uptown Top Ranking' 17 North Parade/VP Records didn't have the intention to release yet another 'Greatest Hits' compilation by Byron Lee and his Dragonaires, but instead wanted to draw attention to some lesser known and even forgotten gems from Byron's rich oeuvre.

Kanaku Y El Tigre - Quema Quema Quema (Tiger's Milk Records/Strut Records)

Kanaku Y El Tigre is one of those bands making us wonder wither they belong on these pages at all.

Moya Kalongo - Reload (Slow Walk Music)

The Catalan Slow Walk Music label, which previously already introduced us to Alma Afrobeat Ensemble and Nakany Square, this time presents the long player debut of Moya Kalongo.

Seckou Keita - 22 Strings (ARC Music)

Yours truly got to know the Senegalese kora-player Seckou Keita thanks to his collaborative effort with Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and the ensuing 'Clychau Dibon' album from 2014.

The Expanders - Hustling Culture (Easy Star Records)

The Expanders may be yet another Californian reggae formation; they most definitely drew inspiration from Jamaican vocal trios like Mighty Diamonds, The Gladiators or Culture.

Vibronics - Return Of Vibronics (Scoops Records/Jarring Effects)

It's been a long seven years since we last heard from Vibronics.

Brooklyn Gypsies - Sin Fronteras (Wonderwheel Recordings)

Brooklyn Gypsies is a project for which producer and multi-instrumentalist Takuya Nakamura (aka Brooklyn Gypsy) invited musicians from Spain, Japan, Russia and the United States.

Antimufa - New Ways Of Argentinean Music (Patagonia Records/Self-published)

Antimufa (loosely translated "cure for a bad mood") is a quartet of Argentine expatriates living in Amsterdam trying to put a new jazzy spin on genres like tango, milonga and Argentine folklore.

Fatoumata Diawara & Roberto Fonseca - At Home, Live In Marciac (Jazz Village/Harmonia Mundi)

Rather than heading back into the studio to record a successor to 'Fatou', Fatoumata Diawara opted for a collaborative project with Roberto Fonseca, a Cuban pianist she met at the New Morning jazz club in Paris.

Alaine - Ten Of Hearts (Jukeboxx Productions/Zojak Worldwide)

Yours truly had already seen Alaine (born Alaine Laughton) perform with Tarrus Riley several times, but apart from that, 'Ten Of Hearts' was our first real introduction to the work of this Jamaican-American singer/actress.

Cabruêra - Colors Of Brazil (Tumi Music)

'Colors Of Brazil', distributed by Tumi Music, is in fact a reissue of two albums by Brazilian band Cabruêra; both 'Visagem' (2009) and 'Nordeste Oculto' (2013) appeared on the Nikita Music label.

The Selecter - Subculture (DMF Music)

The Selecter, one of a handful of trending British bands putting 2 Tone ska on the map back in the 1970s (see also The Specials or The Beat), at the time, enjoyed worldwide fame with songs like 'On My Radio' or 'The Selecter'.