Orkesta Mendoza - Curandero (Glitterbeat Records)
A more appropriate title than 'Curandero', Spanish for healer or shaman, Sergio Mendoza could not have been imagined by for this new Orkesta Mendoza album being released in full COVID-19 crisis.
Alpheus - The Victory (Liquidator Music)
Alpheus may have made a name for himself with 'Quality Time', recorded at Studio One in 1999, but when asked about his favorite producer, the London based singer will undoubtedly answer: "Roberto Sanchez!". 'The Victory' is his fourth collaboration with the Spanish producer and the third album distributed by Spanish ska label Liquidator Music.
Positive Thursdays In DUB - Landing On Planet DUB (Rockers Artist Agency)
Positive Thursdays In DUB is a musical project around Polish radio maker, DJ and musician Rafal Konert.
Blakkamoore - Upward Spiral (Lustre Kings/Baco Records)
Blakkamoore is the alter ego of Wayne Sharne Henry, a Guyanan who moved to Brooklyn, New York, who previously used the alias Jahdan Blakkamoore and started his musical career simply as Jah Dan.
Manlio Calafrocampano - Mentalità (Rising Time Label)
Manlio Panza, better known as Manlio Calafrocampano may not be a stranger in his own country anymore, for yours truly 'Mentalita', following 2010's 'Consapevoleza' and 2012's 'Sogno', was our first acquaintance with the work of this Italian artist from Naples.
Super Natural Selection - Rasta Live (Skicksound)
Super Natural Selection is a Dutch band with members from Arnhem, Nijmegen and Wageningen, and has already been active since 2002. For 'Rasta Live', their third long-player, finally taking the band back to the studio after more than five years, Super Natural Selection joined forces with producer Rekesh Dukaloo and opted to record all songs in 432 Hz, the so-called "frequency of the universe".
Proyecto Secreto - Alto (Zephyrus Records)
With a band name like Proyecto Secreto of course you always run the risk of staying under the radar, but in all honesty, yours truly wasn't involved in music journalism yet back in 2003, so the release of their debut album 'Bruce Lee Is Back' completely passed us by. A whopping seventeen years later the Ghent based formation returns with 'Alto', joining forces with Dave Hillyard, who produced the album, his band mate with The Slackers and Stubborn All-Stars Vic Ruggiero, and Victor Rice who, together with Hillyard, took care of the mix.
TriXstar - #TrixStylez (Boomrush Productions)
German-Iranian Ima Ghafouri aka TriXstar may have been in the music business for over a decade now, but apart from the 2013 5-track 'New Era' EP, thus far only a handful of singles were released. Most of those singles and the songs from the EP were finally bundled for debut album '#TrixStylez'.
Awale Jant Band - Yewoulen (ARC Music)
'Yewoulen' is the long-player debut of Awale Jant Band, a formation composed of Awalé, the band of London-based French producer and guitarist Thibaut Remy, and the Jant Band of the Senegalese son of a gawlo, singer-songwriter Biram Seck.
Tamikrest - Tamotaït (Glitterbeat Records)
For this new Tamikrest album we'd just like to start with the title: 'Tamotaït' is Tamasheq for "hope for a positive change", something we all clearly yearn for after the entire COVID-19 pandemic and the recent global wave of anti-racist protest following the violent death of George Floyd during an arrest by the police in the American city of Minneapolis. However, with that title, the members of Tamikrest mainly refer to the situation of the Tuareg people.
Džambo Aguševi Orchestra - Brasses For The Masses (Asphalt Tango Records)
Every time we suspect the Balkan brass genre is really on its last legs, another artist appears literally breathing new life into the genre! This time it's Macedonian trumpeter and band leader Džambo Ozden, better known as Džambo and generally regarded as the most popular Macedonian musician after the unsurpassable diva Esma Redzepova.
Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela - Rejoice (World Circuit)
What was originally intended to be the first collaborative project of two music legends and musical besties, eventually turned into a posthumous tribute to South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela, who passed away in 2018, and now, due to the sudden demise of afrobeat pioneer and master drummer Tony Allen, unfortunately ends up a double farewell.
Melingo - Oasis (Buda Musique)
For 'Oasis', Melingo yet again assumes the role of his linyera-alter ego, as the album forms the final part of a triptych that started with 'Linyera' back in 2014.
Marcus Gad - Rhythm Of Serenity (Lustre Kings/Baco Records)
With his 'Enter A Space' EP, released early last year, French-New Caledonian artist Marcus Gad briefly explored new musical horizons, but for 'Rhythm Of Serenity' he returns to his true love: the reggae sound of the Virgin Islands.
Dallas - Wake Up Community (Rain Tree Records)
The story behind this 'Wake Up Community' by Bristolian Dallas, immediately reminded yours truly of that of 'Joshua To Jashwha: 30 Years In The Wilderness', the 2012 debut album of his late fellow townsman Jashwha Moses. Just like Moses, after the 1984 release of 'Peacemaker', a first 12inch single, Dallas, born Dennis McCalla, had to wait more than thirty years for this first long-player to manifest.
Jah9 - Note To Self (VP Records)
As the title suggests, on 'Note To Self', her third long player to date, Jah9 goes on a journey of introspection.
Various Artists - Uzelli Elektro Saz: 1976-1984 (Uzelli Kaset)
Fans of BaBa ZuLa curious to find out where this Turkish draws their inspiration from, we can certainly recommend 'Uzelli Elektro Saz: 1976-1984'.
JOLA - Hidden Gnawa Music in Brussels (Muziekpublique)
It's probably little known, but the Belgian capital is home to some forty Moroccan gnawa musicians who are now united in the JOLA project.
Barry Brown - Pass Up The Chalice: The Blackbeard Years 1978-83 (Patate Records)
It had been a long time since we heard from Patate Records. However, the Parisian record shop of the same name still manages to keep its head above water, and the label itself also stayed afloat and mainly started to focus on vinyl reissues. Patate Records has always been a hallmark for the better roots and dub classics, and 'Pass Up The Chalice: The Blackbeard Years 1978-83', a compilation of work by the prematurely departed Barry Brown, is no exception.
Various Artists - Kingston Express presents Foot Of The Mountain (Kingston Express/Self-published)
Three years after the release of his highly enjoyable 'Kingston Connection' EP, Brummie producer and sound engineer Joe Simpson aka Sticky Joe returns with 'Kingston Express presents The Foot Of The Mountain', the most ambitious project on his Kingston Express label to date.