Best of June & July 2023

I hope to get back to the monthly rhythm of writing these recommendations, but it's not bad when everything is published once every two months. In that case, it happens that some albums fall out that might have slipped into the monthly lists, so I can say that this list is the real creme de la creme of the new productions that I listened to in the last two months. I usually don't single out any album from this alphabetical list, but this time I have to draw your attention to the album that is at the end of this list.

African Head Charge - A Trip to Bolgatanga (On-U Sound 2023.)

African Head Charge are back with a new studio album after exactly 12 years. They did not mind the break much, because "A Trip To Boglatanga" is one of the best albums in the group's career. The recipe for success has not changed - traditional African rhythms and melodies mixed with reggae/dub music and electronica. This recipe has proven to be quite successful, and I am personally glad that African Head Charge did not indulge too much in electronics as they did on some of their previous albums. Special bonus is the great guest appearance of King Ayisoba on two songs.

Alogte Oho and His Sounds of Joy - O Yinne! (Philophon 2023.)

With the strange journey of music through the world, it is not surprising that certain styles appear in different forms in different parts of the world. For example, the Frafra people of Ghana and Burkina Faso have developed their own style of gospel, and when gospel is combined with local highlife music, the result is very interesting music. Frafra gospel singer Alogte Oho is the real proof that this combination can work brilliantly, and he showed it on his first album, 2019's "Mam Yinne Wa." His second album "O Yinne!" was released this year. who perfected the whole story, and in this album we have one of the most beautiful feel-good albums of this year.

Aya Metwalli & Calamita - Al Saher (Zehra Records 2023.)

Aya Metwalli is an Egyptian singer-songwriter, while Calamita is a Lebanese impro noise rock group whose members are also active in many other bands like Karkhana. Metwalli and Calamita have teamed up for an album that combines classic Arabic poetry and the traditional heritage of Tarab with many noisy passages. It's an exciting album that demands full attention while listening.

BCUC - Millions Of Us (On The Corner 2023.)

BCUC's greatest strength is their live performances, but their albums are in no way inferior. The fourth studio album "Millions Of Us" was released four years after its predecessor "The Healing", and on it the band abandoned the usual concept of three songs, two of which lasted about 20 minutes each. On "Millions Of Us" there are even nine songs, and it's still about hypnotic rhythms accompanied by chants and the impressive voice of Jovi, a singer I can only describe as a medicine man who is always ready to pull you into his mystical music world and heal you in it. BCUC are one of the most important African bands at the moment, this year they played at the Druga Godba in Ljubljana, and soon they will play at the Malom Festival in Orom, Vojvodina.

Dudu Tassa & Jonny Greenwood - Jarak Qaribak (World Circuit 2023.)

Jonny Greenwood showed his preference for world music while working on a joint album with Shye Ben Tzur, and eight years later he teamed up with the great Israeli musician Dudu Tassa. They recorded "Jarak Qaribak" as a tribute to Arab love songs, and although Tassa is an excellent singer, he was responsible for bass guitar and arrangements on this album, while various Arab singers guested on the vocal parts.

Elza Soares - No Tempo da Intolerância (Deckdisc 2023.)

Brazilian singer Elza Soares died last year, and on June 23, the day she would have celebrated her 93rd birthday, the album "No Tempo da Intolerância" was released. It is an album recorded two years ago and in a way rounds out the social theme of the albums Soares has released in the last decade ("A Mulher do Fim do Mundo," "Deus É Mulher," "Planeta Fome"). The singer herself described the album as feminist, a celebration of women and for all women, and she wrote most of the songs herself. Although all the material was recorded in 2021, after Elza Soares fell ill, the release took a back seat, and after her death, the family and collaborators decided to release this material. "No Tempo da Intolerância" shows that Elza was fit until her death, the vocal parts are fantastic and the sound is modern, with many funk and soul parts along with recognizable Brazilian melodies. This is an album that properly honors the artist who had a big mark on Brazilian music.

Frankosun And The Family - Small Talk Big Problem (Helmi Levyt 2023.)

Frankosun And The Family was formed in Helsinki in 2013, and ten years later this Afrobeat group presents its second album. The band was founded by Beninese musician Oladele Franck Koumolou, whose great voice carries the sound of the entire group, and he is also responsible for engaging lyrics that draw attention to various problems that still exist in Africa. In the veritable flood of European performers who have been playing Afrobeat for the past decade, Frankosun And The Family stand out because they draw influences from the voodoo rhythms of Benin, very much in the spirit of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou.

Irma Ferreira - Em Cantos De Orisa (Ajabu! 2023.)

Irma Ferreira is from Brazil and on the album "Em Cantos De Orisa" presents a rich musical tradition linked to Candomblé, a religious community that developed in Brazil from the descendants of the African diaspora. This album features, above all, Irma's soothing voice, which beautifully guides us through prayers, chants and everything else related to Candomblé, all with minimal and unobtrusive background music.

Mari Kalkun - Stories Of Stonia (Real World 2023.)

Mari Kalkun has established herself as one of the most important Estonian folk singers, and her seventh album was produced by Sam Lee. To some extent, this fact explains the atmosphere that "Stories Of Stonia" conveys. Mara's great voice is very much in the foreground, and she does not suffer from unnecessary vocal exhibitions, but calmly represents the musical tradition of her country. Sometimes dark and mystical, sometimes a bit heavy, "Stories Of Storia" is the best album in Mari Kalkun's career so far, and with this album she has established herself as one of the most interesting European folk singers.

Michalis Kouloumis, Tristan Driessens & Miriam Encinas - Music For Shepherds and Sultans (Homerecords 2023.)

Michalis Kouloumis, Tristan Driessens and Miraim Encinas say that they are united by their love of Turkish Makam music and that they draw inspiration from it for their songs. However, they have not blindly followed Makam music, but often draw inspiration from Greek Cypriot music as well as other Mediterranean traditions. They describe "Music for Shepherds and Sultans" as 'a cyclical journey of constant transmission and renewal which defines their actual legitimacy through time and space." There is nothing to add to that.

Nemanja - Voodoo Beat (Selfreleased 2023.)

​Croatian group Nemanja, led by Luka Šipetić, has been influenced by dance music from all over the world since the beginning of their work. Four years ago they presented the album "Tarot Funk", which was followed by "Cosmic Disco", and now it's the turn of "Voodoo Beat". The main inspiration for this album comes from Caribbean, tropical and Afro-Colombian music, and everything is perfectly wrapped in dance rhythms that make listeners dance from the first to the last minute.

Sanam - Aykathani Malakon (Mais Um 2023.)

"Bell" is one of the best songs I've heard this year. The hypnotic, repetitive rhythm followed by the great bouzouki part and the magical voice of Sandy Chamoun made me listen to this song dozens of times, and the whole album "Aykathani Malakon" is in no way inferior. This sextet is from Beirut, and they say their music is ritual where improvised rock, free jazz and noise underscore an exorcism of traditional Egyptian song and Arabic poetry. Perfect description, even more perfect music.

Saodaj’ - Laz (Daydream 2023.)

Saodaj' come from La Réunion, an island in the Indian Ocean located almost 700 kilometers from Madagascar which is still under French administration. Saodaj' base their sound on Maloya, a traditional genre from Reunion, which they mix with modern sounds. Everything sounds quite cheerful and fun, and underneath that kind of melodies are engaging lyrics, so Saodaj' sing about colonialism and slave ownership, marital rape and other social issues important to Africa. An excellent album.

Witch - Zango (Desert Daze Sound 2023.)

Witch was one of the most important groups in Zambia in the 70s, and Zango is their first album in almost 40 years. In their day they were called the pioneers of zamrock, and although the new material follows on from everything they have done before, Zango also brings a much-needed freshness. There are lots of great guitar riffs with inevitable African rhythms, but also funk, soul and other genres. Special praise is due to the excellent selection of guests, especially the great part of Sampa The Great in the song "Avalanche Of Love".

Yemen Blues - Shabazi - A Tribute to the Poet (MDC 2023.)

It often happens that I listen to an album for days without stopping, but it is not so often that the infatuation lasts for weeks, and that is the case with the new album of the group Yemen Blues. Great guitar parts, a dangerous rhythm section, perfectly mixed horn sections and the icing on the cake - Ravid Kahalani's fantastic and fanatical vocals have created magic on this album. The songs "Ahalel El Asher Yatzak" and "Aane Shir Hadash" are so perfect that I can not describe them. If you're only going to listen to one album from this list, make it "Shabazi - A Tribute To The Poet".