Sizzla - The Journey: The Very Best Of (Greensleeves)
The very best of Sizzla on one disc? Given the output of the man, that seems an almost impossible task.
Michael Rose - Great Expectations (On The Corner/Nocturne)
If we forget about opening track 'Momento', a tedious and redundant reggaeton tune, 'Great Expectations' is a Michael Rose album that will mainly please lovers of UK roots.
Cutty Ranks - Reggae Anthology: Limb By Limb (VP Records)
Admittedly, yours truly is not the biggest fan of Cutty Ranks (born Philip Thomas) and certainly no authority where his works are concerned.
Mikey Ras Starr - Fire & Rain (Makasound)
Makasound strikes again! It's incredible how these French do it, but their re-releases continue to amaze.
Jah Mason - No Matter The Time (Jenny’s Records/Nocturne)
Nothing surprising this new album by Jah Mason; his style has hardly changed in recent years and on this Vikings/Black Scorpio production he just does what he's good at over a number of decent riddims (Skylarking, Police In Helicopter, Hot Milk).
Campina Reggae - Vet En Verstaanbaar (Super/Lowlands Distribution)
Campina Reggae, a project started by bass player Steven Vangool and featuring Jan Bellemans, Jeroen Van Esbroeck, Percy Jones and, of course, Zulema Hechavarria Blanco, is one big ode to his native region the Campine.
Various Artists - Reggae Anthology: Joe Gibbs, Scorchers From The Mighty Two (VP Records)
With Joe Gibbs gone, his archives seem to be up for grabs.
Dengue Fever - Venus On Earth (Real World Records)
As we're not served a dose of Cambodian psychedelic rock every day, this latest Real World Records release is definitely an oddity.
Felix Baloy Y Su Cuban Son All Stars - Un Solo Amor (Tumi Music)
Felix Baloy, the voice of Afro-Cuban All Stars, has been going at it solo for several years now, and with 'Un Solo Amor', the son-veteran delivers pure Cuban quality.
Puerto Plata - Mujer De Cabaret (iASO Records)
Where music from the Dominican Republic is concerned, yours truly spontaneously thinks of high-speed digital merengue, but apparently in a further past son and bachata were also played on the island.
Balla Et Ses Balladins + Bembeya Jazz National - The Syliphone Years (Sterns Music)
With its latest releases in the well-known format that we've become accustomed to (double CD with an almost encyclopedic accompanying booklet), the Sterns label focusses on the post-colonial history of Guinea-Conakry.
Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca - Isabela (Mopiato Music)
With 'Isabela' Ricardo Lemvo, a Congolese with Angolan roots curently residing in Los Angeles, delivers an ideal summer album.
Parno Graszt - Ez A Vilag Nekem Valo (Podium Productions)
Yet another Gypsy project? Yes, but one with just that little bit extra... The musicians of Parno Graszt (Romani for "white horse", the Romani symbol for purity and absolute freedom) all hail from Paszab, a small village in the remote North-Eastern region of Hungary.
Orchestre National De Barbès - Alik (Wagram)
We've had to wait no less than nine years for a successor to 'Poulina' and with 'Alik' this band from Paris' 18th district seems to want to go down a different musical path.
Grupo Fantasma - Sonidos Gold (Me & My Records)
Just a few months after the release of their live album, Grupo Fantasma already hits us with a new studio effort.
Dobranotch - Gagarin Chochek (Orange World Records)
Polish Orange World Records introduces Dobranotch ("good night" in Russian), a quintet with members from Lebanon, Moldova and Russia, originally founded in Nantes, but now operating from St. Petersburg, where they bring their personal variant of Eastern European music.
Discipulos De Otilia - En Blanco Y Negro (Pias)
In these parts Discipulos De Otilia are not a household name yet, but in the Spanish speaking part of the world this ten-man strong Catalan gang has been going strong for over 15 years, something they want to underline with this CD/DVD release.
Toumani Diabate - The Mande Variations (World Circuit)
'The Mande Variations' is kora virtuoso Toumani Diabate's first solo album in over twenty years.
3MA - 3MA (Contre Jour)
For 3MA, Moroccan oud player Driss El Maloumi, Malian kora player Ballaké Sissoko, and Malagasy valiha master Rajery master joined forces.
Etran Finatawa - Desert Crossroads (Riverboat Records/World Music Network)
Etran Finatawa (translated: "the stars of tradition") is a collaborative project between musicians of the Woodabe on the one hand and the Tuareg on the other; both nomad tribes from the immense desert border area between Mali, Mauritania and Niger.