Let’s unpack the term ‘lullaby’ for a sec. It’s an act of song used solely to soothe a person into rest or slumber. Lullabies are meant to be sung in a confidential caring space, away from prying eyes, contrary to the widescreen pop song, which is music that usually functions as a great connector for a mass audience. Mélissa Laveaux’s new album Mama forgot her name was Miracle explores these seemingly disparate musical directives in a bold, celebratory way…

Few artists would dare to tackle quite such a kaleidoscope of music styles and accompanying socio-political issues in the space of 12 songs and 66 minutes. And yet France-based Senegalese virtuosic bassist, vocalist and composer Alune Wade, who’s worked with Joe Zawinul, Marcus Miller, Oumou Sangare, Bobby McFerrin, Youssou N’Dour and others, achieves this with effortless mastery on Sultan, his fifth solo album in 15 years.

Feelings, the indescribable realm, which inspires poets and artists from so many different fields, are treasures that only weigh on the soul. Mísia is well aware of this. This female artist, a dreamy fado singer, singer actress, narrator of her own stories and of those of others, is the first to admit, that she is an animal sentimental, a sentimental animal…

Sangare' is renowned worldwide for her vibrant and powerful music, which often features revolutionary messages about women’s rights, tradition and poverty…

Vicente Amigo Girol is a Spanish flamenco composer and guitarist, born in Guadalcanal near Seville. He has played as an accompanying guitarist on recordings by flamenco singers Camarón de la Isla, and Luis de Córdoba, and he has acted as a producer for Remedios Amaya and José Mercé. His album Ciudad de las Ideas won the 2001 Latin Grammy for the Best Flamenco Album and the 2002 Ondas award for the best Flamenco work.

From Kinshasa to New York, via Buenos Aires and Stockholm, the supergroup Congotronics brings together four continents on a single album.

Isabel Vinardell, vocals and dance, and Isabelle Laudenbach, guitar and backing vocals, after their experiences with other bands of the Barcelona music scene (Cheb Balowski and Las Migas), are now heading towards this shared path. With a first album, A Solas (Chesapik, 2016), which they presented on national and international tour for 4 years, the duo presents their new record, Diëresis (U98 Music, 2021).

Ambarchi, Berthling and Werliin share a fascination with rhythm and the myriad of ways it can subdivide within the beat. Using aspects of jazz, world and experimental musics, each tune settles into a deep groove, digging itself via continuous minimal adjustments into an ever-deeper, eternal groove.

Here, on Jacob’s Dream, Koby Israelite demonstrates a gentler, more sophisticated side. “My grandmother bought me a piano when I was three and I started playing by ear,” says Koby. “When I was six I started to have piano lessons but I never liked it - I guess I had the wrong teacher for my rebellious personality! I got into music seriously when my parents finally gave up and bought me my first drum kit. I was very much then into rock music. Later on, in my late teens and early twenties, I got into jazz and classical music.”

Modern jazz & world music in fusion with the Balkan tradition and African rhythms are fitted into this group that offers extraordinary audio-visual experience…

Brian Flanagan is an Irish songwriter, composer, vocalist, musician & poet. He has worked with artists from diverse musical backgrounds such as Michael Flatley, Nadine Coyle, Eric Bibb, Nathan Carter, Finbar Furey, Brian Kennedy & Sharon Shannon.

Siwan, the transcultural, trans-idiomatic musical collective led by Norwegian keyboardist/composer Jon Balke, continues along its special path, with new music inspired by the creative spirit of Al-Andalus. The ensemble weaves lines of communication between musicians from multiple traditions and locations. Among the texts set by Balke on Siwan’s third album and persuasively sung by Algerian vocalist Mona Boutchebak are verses by Ummayad princess Wallada bint al-Mustakfi (1010-1091) and contemporaries including Ibn Zaydun (1003-1071) and Ibn Sara As-Santarini (1043-1123). Hafla was recorded in May and June 2021 at Village Recording Studios, in Copenhagen.

Colombian sister duo Las Villa rose to streaming success in 2019 with their engaging mix of R&B, trap, and Latin pop. They are known for singles like "Nadita" and the LAGOS collaboration "Cuerno."…

Arcomusical, led by percussionist/composer/scholar Gregory Beyer, is an ensemble devoted to the promotion of the berimbau, an Afro-Brazilian instrument closely associated with the body game of capoeira. Through Beyer’s stewardship, Arcomusical has carved a unique path commissioning new works for berimbau ensemble and expanding its presence within contemporary concert music. In addition, Arcomusical has established meaningful relationships in Brazil, notably cultivating Arcomusical Brasil, a sister ensemble based in Belo Horizonte.