Nattali Rize & Notis - New Era Frequency EP (Baco Records)
'New Era Frequency' is the solo debut of Nattali Rize (born Natalie Pa'apa'a), an Australian singer of Mexican-Samoan descent, who already made a name for herself as front woman of Blue King Brown.
uKanDanZ - Awo (Buda Musique/Atypeek Music/Bigoût Records)
To paraphrase the well-known quote by Spock from the hilarious 'Star Trekkin'' by The Firm: "It's Ethiopian music Jim, but not as we know it!".
Tóke - Troddin' With A Vision EP (Boomrush Productions)
'Troddin' With A Vision' is the studio debut of Tóke (born Marco Rais Abin), a German-Indonesian singer-songwriter from Hamburg.
DJ Vadim - Dubcatcher 2: Wicked My Yout (Soulbeats Records)
'Dubcatcher 2: Wicked My Yout' does not only hail the return of our favorite reggae superhero Dubcatcher, but with this album DJ Vadim delivers a rare feat: producing a sequel that surpasses the quality of the original! With Max Romeo, Earl Sixteen, General Levy, Tippa Irie, YT, Stand High Patrol and Raggasonic's Big Red, Vadim definitely compiled an excellent guest list for this sequel.
Leah Rosier + Rise & Shine - Only Irie Vibes (Self-published/Dibyz Music)
For her new album 'Only Irie Vibes', Amsterdam singer Leah Rosier collaborated with French backing band Rise & Shine.
Kel Assouf - Tikounen (Igloo Records/Zephyrus Records)
If you're among the lucky ones who were able to spot a dromedary in the center of Brussels recently, then you've already had a taste of the promo campaign for 'Tikounen', Kel Assouf's new album.
Matic Horns - Spanish Town Rock (Self-published/H.A.T. Music Co)
Trombonist par excellence Henry 'Matic Horns' Tenyue can be heard on countless reggae productions and is also a regular on stage, always popping up somewhere, but his own output is a lot smaller and thus we were quite pleased with the release of 'Spanish Town Rock'.
Spruddy - One (Ockolicious Records)
Spruddy (born Florian Kron) who made a name for himself fronting the German rocksteady formation Court Jester's Crew, has been focusing on his own solo career for some time now and with the aptly titled 'One' now also presents his album debut.
The Cliftones - Enemies Scatter (Rebel Sound Records)
'Enemies Scatter' is the long player debut of The Cliftones, a nine-piece formation around Cincinnati, Ohio based Texan Diedrich 'Deke' Jones.
Runkus - Move In EP (Oneness Records)
Yours truly is always open to discovering new Jamaican talent and 'Move In', the debut EP by Runkus (born Romario Bennett and Determine's son) proved to be more than a pleasant surprise.
Amsterdam Klezmer Band - Oyoyoy (Self-published)
On 'Oyoyoy' Amsterdam Klezmer Band once again serve their meanwhile well-known, but ever catchy blend of klezmer, hip-hop (check out the great 'Vrijdag', celebrating Friday as the ideal day of the week to go for a night on the town ) and jazz ('The Hipster's Life', 'Alec's Ascultare'.
Brushy One String - No Man Stop Me (RiseUp Entertainment)
Like the rest of the world, yours truly was first introduced to Andrew Chin aka Brushy One String (son of Freddy McKay) thanks to 'Rise Up', Luciano Blotta's 2007 documentary.
Various Artists - Dubble Attack + Boat To Progress + Check The Winner (Greensleeves)
With the simultaneous reissue of three compilations filled with releases on the Pantomine label, the Greensleeves label this time puts the career of Glen Brown in the spotlight.
Various Artists - Stronger Than Ever (Bizzarri Records)
The fact in Italy reggae is going through a revival is once again nicely illustrated by the aptly titled 'Stronger Than Ever'.
Colah Colah - Togetherness (Elevation Records/Basco Record Production)
In yearly tradition Colah Colah once again treats us to a new album, although in the case of 'Togetherness' "new" should be put somewhat into perspective.
Sidestepper - Supernatural Love (Real World Records)
'Supernatural Love' hails the return of Sidestepper, trendsetters and innovators in the Colombian music scene ever since the mid-1990s.
Lëk Sèn - Sweet & Tuff (Jahsen Creation)
With the eponymous 4 track 'Sweet & Tuff' EP, Lëk Sèn already gave us a taste of this album a few months ago.
Augustus Pablo - This Is Augustus Pablo (Get On Down)
Even though in 2011 17 North Parade/VP Records already presented an identical reissue of this classic Augustus Pablo album, it's now once again rereleased on the Get On Down label.
Taj Weekes & Adowa - Love, Herb & Reggae (Jatta Records/VPal)
With 'Love, Herb & Reggae', the title of his new album, Taj Weekes offers an alternative to the old adagio "sex, drugs & rock and roll".
Black Roots - Son Of Man (Soulbeats Records)
The fact the Black Roots story is still far from being told, the Bristolian band proves with 'Son Of Man', their third long player in about as many years.