Amadou & Mariam - La Confusion (Warner/Because Music)
It had been five years since Malian superstar couple Amadou & Mariam last treated their fans to a new long player.
Saz'iso - At Least Wave Your Handkerchief At Me (Glitterbeat Records)
With 'At Least Wave Your Handkerchief At Me', Glitterbeat Records and producers Joe Boyd, Edit Pula and Andrea Goertler introduce the world to Albanian band Saz'iso.
Ayo - Ayo (Self-published/AllPoints)
When in our review of Nneka's 2015 album 'My Fairy Tale' we made the comment we weren't big fans of the "multitude of female singer-songwriters with an ethnic background", we were met with a lot of criticism; however with that comment we merely wanted to underline we couldn't quite grasp why artists mainly focusing on singer-songwriter pop are being promoted as world music acts simply because of the color of their skin.
Mad Professor meets Jah9 - In The Midst Of The Storm (VP Records)
With 'In The Midst Of The Storm', Mad Professor didn't just produce a dub version of Jah9's '9' album, it's also the first collaboration between the Ariwa-chief and the Jamaican singer.
Lee 'Scratch' Perry & Subatomic Sound System - Super Ape Returns To Conquer (Self-published)
Even though he's well in his eighties now, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, the enfant terrible of reggae and dub, isn't about to call it quits, so it should come as no surprise that his alter ego Super Ape, the reggae-answer to King Kong, is once more at the center of attention.
Talulah Neira - Mujer (Cosas Buenas Producciones/Sello Azul)
After spending more than a decade in the shadow of her brother, Chilean reggae artist Quique Neira, as a backing vocalist, Italia 'Talulah' Neira now ventures into the spotlight herself with 'Mujer' ("woman").
Jesse Royal - Lily Of Da Valley (Easy Star Records)
After a mixtape ('In Comes The Small Axe', 2013), a collaborative project with Walshy Fire ('Royally Speaking', 2014) and a whole bunch of singles, Jesse Royal's fans finally get what they'd been craving for: a full-fledged album! 'Lily Of da Valley', the title of his long player debut, refers to an old nineteenth-century church hymn Jesse was taught by his grandmother, often providing solace in the difficult times and reminding him of the fact Christ was human and not a deity.
Various Artists - Version Dread (Studio One)
This collection of essential dubs from the Studio One vaults had been out of print for more than a decade now.
The Hempolics - Kiss, Cuddle & Torture: Volume 1 (Shark Free Records)
British band The Hempolics have kept their fans longing after a long player for quite some time, but now they're finally presenting 'Kiss, Cuddle & Torture: Volume 1', the first part of what will eventually will become a set of three albums.
LMK - Highlights (Dibyz Music)
After her successful 2015 debut 'Musical Garden', LMK returns with 'Highlights'.
The Expanders - Old Time Something Come Back Again Vol. 1 & 2 (Easy Star Records)
Five years after their cover-album 'Old Time Something Come Back Again Vol.
Double Tiger - Sharp & Ready (Easy Star Records)
Jay Spaker aka Double Tiger is best known as one half of Tour De Force, founder of the Dub Stuy Records label and his work with John Brown's Body, but with 'Sharp & Ready' he now also presents his first solo effort.
Various Artists - Rastafari Guide I (Marwan Records)
The fact Jamaica is still brimming with musical talent, is once again demonstrated by Kingston-based producer and singer-songwriter Demo Delgado with the excellent compilation 'Rastafari Guide I', featuring mostly little known artists like Mr. SupriZe, Talio, Ilano and Demo Delgado himself, but also Soul Syndicate legend Tony Chin, who delivers an excellent version of Ken Boothe's 'The Girl I Left Behind'.
JoJo Gladstone - JoJo (Holliwood Records)
JoJo Gladstone is the alter ego of Jouke Yspeerd, a Dutch producer and vocalist who borrowed his stage name from his great idol Gladstone 'Gladdy' Anderson (best known as keyboardist with Roots Radics at the time when they were mainly working for Channel One).
ComboNations - Dunya (Pias/Heilo)
Sometimes the name of a project already tells the whole story, and that's certainly true in the case of ComboNations.
King Jammy - Waterhouse Dub (Greensleeves)
For 'Waterhouse Dub', King Jammy took to the studio again in the company of his sons, Jam Two, John John and Baby G.
The Souljazz Orchestra - Under Burning Skies (Strut Records)
For this new long player Canadian band The Souljazz Orchestra clearly drew on the nineteen eighties for inspiration.
Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet - Ladilikan (World Circuit)
For 'Ladilakan' (Bambara for "words of advice") World Circuit brought together West African Trio Da Kali with the San Francisco based Kronos Quartet.
Gentleman's Dub Club - Dubtopia (Easy Star Records)
With 2015's 'The Big Smoke', Gentleman's Dub Club paid tribute to the English capital, but for the aptly titled 'Dubtopia', the nine-piece band from Leeds created a made-up paradise of their own.
Exile Di Brave - Exile Di Brave meets Black Star EP (Black Star Foundation)
Following 2015's 'Black Star presents Vivian Jones', Dutch Black Star Foundation now joined forces with Exile Di Brave for 'Exile Di Brave meets Black Star'.