“Music was around all the time; it became like breathing.”
It’s midmorning and Chiwoniso is running late for a round of interviews to support her new album, Rebel Woman. She apologizes, explaining that she was rehearsing with her new band until 3 a.m. “It’s a beautiful band,” she says. Read More »
Razia Said | Cumbancha Discovery, 2010 | Madagascar
Zebu Nation was conceived during a six-week journey across Madagascar, in which Razia surveyed the devastation that slash and burn agriculture and climate change wrought on her homeland. Read More »
With La Bodega,Totó La Momposina—one of Colombia’s most well-known artists—pays tribute to the cultural legacy of her native village of Talaighua with a collision of African, Indian, and Span Read More »
Nneka | Yo Mama’s Recording Co., 2010 | Germany/Nigeria
With an urgent, seductive voice that glides easily between rapping and crooning, Nneka has drawn comparisons to Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. Read More »
Tonolec | Independent Production, 2008 | Argentina
With the release of their new album, Plegaria del Árbol Negro, this entrancing Argentinian duo has sealed their destiny as a force of musical genuis. Intent on conserving the voice of Argentina’s indigenous Toba culture, Tonolec plants electronic beats in native prayers, seeding a fertile landscape of rhythms. Read More »
Soname Yangchen’s voice—and story—soars in her new album, Plateau. A singer/songwriter of contemporary Tibetan mountain songs, she uses spirited, free-flowing lyrics and sounds to reflect on her lost homeland. Read More »
The much celebrated Malian singer, songwriter, and musician Rokia Traoré has received global praise for her fourth and latest album, Tchamantche. Here, her voice beautifully bears lyrics in French, English, and Bambara, a Malian language. Read More »
An exploration of time, space, and style, Maria de Barros’ newest album combines Cape Verdean traditional Morna and Coladeira beats with a rich frappé of global rhythm and melody. Read More »
