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Moonchild Sanelly
New album: Stylish, charismatic, sexy, with a unique mix of South African dance music – gqom, amapiano, hip-hop, jazz and electronica, with a persona somewhere between Eartha Kitt, Nicki Minaj or Doja Cat, the starry, blue-haired Port Elizabeth-born rapper, model and designer’s fabulous second and double LP is all about ‘baddies’ and personal empowerment
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Obongjayar’s debut album
Oumou Sangaré’s ninth album Timbuktu
New album: Superlative ninth LP by the Malian megastar, whose songs fuse the bright, beautiful, bluesy and West African traditional with strong social and political commentary framed with her fabulous voice, and finger-picking guitars, koras and kamele ngoni
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Sault spring another surprise with sixth album Air
New album: A sixth album in just three years by the collective run by prolific producer Inflo, aka Dean Josiah Cover, has a striking new direction - instrumental, orchestral works with brass and largely non-verbal choir parts, yet this cinematic release still has echoes of the black experience
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Electrifying: Ibibio Sound Machine’s latest LP
New album: Superbly energised fourth LP by the afro-funk London band fronted by vocalist Eno Williams, who utilises her Nigerian heritage and the Ibibio language, fused with guitars, electronica, Brazilian rhythms and influences from Fela Kuti to Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder
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Melt Yourself Down: Pray For Me I Don't Fit In
New album: This fourth LP by saxophonist Pete Wareham, Mauritian vocalist Kushal Gaya and co is perhaps their best yet mix of fabulously stompy, staccato, dance-punk, Afrobeat, jazz, with Egyptian and another influences, buzzing with frenetic fervour
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Los Bitchos are ready to party ….
Debut album: Break out the pisco and tequila! Produced by Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, a joyously fun debut album by the international all-female London band who play foot-tapping instrumentals fusing surf guitar, Turkish psych, Argentine cumbia and Peruvian chicha, sporting a chic 60s look
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Imarhan’s beatiful new album, Aboogi
New album: Mesmerically beautiful third LP by the Algerian tuareg desert quintet, all atwirl with superb vocals, clever layering, intricate guitar work, and a somehow wonderfully entwined guest vocal appearance by Gruff Rhys
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Favourite selection part 2.
Favourite albums of 2021 – Part 2: Welcome the second instalment, following Part 1, which can be found here. A huge number of excellent releases, of which again this is just a selection many of which were written during, and about lockdown, but also saw many outstanding voices emerge as well as innovative sounds developed
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Take your pick. Are your favourites here? Also check out Part 2 coming soon.
Favourite albums of 2021, part 1: Another difficult year for everyone, but from soul and jazz, electro-pop the experimental and avant-garde, an outstanding one for music releases, perhaps in part because out of diversity comes great art. Also feel free to explore Part 2, which is now available to view here.
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Houeida Hedfi’s debut album Fleuves De L’Âme
New album: A gorgeous, entrancing debut by the Tunisian percussionist joined by fellow violin player Radhi Chaouali and Palestinian bouzouk player Jalal Nader in a brilliant fusion of North African, Middle Eastern and western styles to evoke the voices of rivers
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The Solution is Restless
New album: Joan Wasser and her long-time collaborator’s brilliant, beautiful, dark, and perfectly paced blend of funk-afro-jazz with vocals, bass, piano, strings, horns, and stored sessions from the great departed afrobeat drum pioneer
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A Touma, the new gorgeous solo album by the kora master
New album: The Malian kora master returns with a new album of exquisite acoustic solo beauty with a title that translates as “now is the moment”
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Little Simz returns with her fabulous fourth album
New album: London’s Simbiatu Ajikawo returns with her fourth album, a triumph of intelligent, tough-attitude socio-political lyrics and charisma, backed with epic orchestral soundtrack with old friend and longtime producer Inflo Sault), hopefully to propel her into world stardom
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Desire Marea
New album: The singer and African queer artist icon from Durban and founder of the FAKA collective offers something truly different with this startling LP mixing operatic voice, disco and alternative, experimental electronica with Zulu language
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Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime
Album review: Superb new release by the Tuareg songwriter and brilliant guitarist based in Agadez, Niger, bringing new songs about the life of the Saharan region from traditional tender ballads to rocking dance numbers
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Sons of Kemet: Black to the Future
Album review: A wonderful return by the pioneering UK-based jazz quartet after 2018’s acclaimed Your Queen is a Reptile, here with fuller compositions and arrangements, and featured vocalists including Kojey Radical, Moor Mother, Angel Bat Dawid, Joshua Idehen and D Double E
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More of Tony Allen’s work posthumously in collaboration with guest artists
Album review: Entertainingly diverse posthumous album bringing together recordings by the great drummer and Afrobeat pioneer with Femi Kuti, here matched here with guests from soul to hip hop, including Sampa The Great, Skepta, Damon Albarn, and Lava La Rue
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Superwolves by Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
Album review: Gorgeously sensitive and emotional collaborative album between old friends, guitarist and singer-songwriter of folk, Nashville country, Appalachian and some Malian in the mix with guest players
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Ballaké Sissoko: Djourou
Album review: This exquisitely beautiful new release from the Malian kora player includes guest appearances from Camille, Piers Faccini, Feu! Chatterton, Sona Jobarteh, Salif Keita, Patrick Messina, Oxmo Puccino, and Vincent Ségal
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