Songlines Magazine

Thursday, January 29, 2026 By Nigel Campbell Nigel Campbell champions some choice cuts from the rabble-rousing canon of a ‘Calypso King’ Mighty Sparrow at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, 2006 (photo: John Leeson) Now in his 90th year, Mighty Sparrow’s impact on calypso music has been immeasurable. An Afro-Caribbean vernacular style linked to Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival and its precursor, Canboulay, Calypso has origins dating back nearly two centuries.

Rating: ★★★★★ View album and artist details Artist/band: Wes Corbett Label: Adhyâropa Records January/2026 Nashville bluegrass banjo stalwart Wes Corbett’s new album, Drift, is surprisingly spectacular. A member of the Sam Bush Band, Corbett realised that recording an all-instrumental album of original bluegrass tunes in Nashville meant he had access to some of the best players in the world.

Thursday, October 30, 2025 By Andrew Taylor-Dawson Andrew Taylor-Dawson charts the influential and innovative history of Benin’s premier funky vodoun collective Orchestre circa 1983 (Courtesy of Acid Jazz Records;) After forming in the late 1960s, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou became one of Benin’s most celebrated musical exports, a legendary dance band across the whole of West Africa, whose sometime-prefix of ‘Tout Puissant’ (All Powerful) could not be more apt.

Thursday, September 25, 2025 By Erin Cobby Erin Cobby reports from an Ireland-infused boozer at Shambala Molly Mead and Martin O’Donoghue (photo: Erin Cobby) In a dimly lit interior, Irish folk musician Graham Sweeny picks and percussively plays his way through Glen Campbell’s ‘Wichita Lineman’, before punters slam their cold pints of stout down on sturdy mahogany tables and erupt into enthusiastic applause.

Thursday, September 25, 2025 By Andrew Taylor-Dawson Andrew Taylor-Dawson hears how pan-African journeys and future-facing philosophy inform the Moroccan’s latest sonic mutation Guedra Guedra (photo: Joanna Bellon) “Before colonial intervention, these borders did not exist in the way we know them today,” says Moroccan electronic artist Abdellah M Hassack – AKA Guedra Guedra.

Tuesday, September 23, 2025 By Andy Cumming The innovative Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist known as 'the Sorcerer' has died aged 89 Born in Lagoa de Canoa in the rural Northeastern state of Alagoas in 1936, a parched land with blazing sun, growing up was difficult for Hermeto Pascoal, an albino child. Unable to spend much time outside, he was confined to the home, where this child prodigy taught himself to play the flute and then accordion. “All I had was the nature surrounding me.

Tuesday, September 23, 2025 By Simon Broughton North Indian master musician dazzles with sitar and voice at London’s Royal College of Music Shujaat Husain Khan Legacy of the Maestros Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music, September 6 Shujaat Khan hasn’t performed in London for a couple of years – and as son of Vilayat Khan (one of the great sitar players of our time), I was keen to see him in action when he played the Britten Theatre at Royal College of Music .

Thursday, September 18, 2025 By Simon Broughton Ganavya’s headline Barbican show blended spiritual depth, surprising textures and personal tributes, though its rotating cast of guests sometimes disrupted the flow Thanks for visiting the Songlines website, your guide to an extraordinary world of music and culture.

Thursday, September 18, 2025 By Daniel Spicer The benju virtuoso makes Daniel Spicer feel particularly superlative Ustad Noor Bakhsh at The Rose Hill (photo by JFU) Thanks for visiting the Songlines website, your guide to an extraordinary world of music and culture. Sign up for a free account now to enjoy: Free access to 2 subscriber-only articles and album reviews every month Unlimited access to our news and awards pages Our regular email newsletters Register for free Already registered?

Thursday, September 18, 2025 By Olivia Cheves Olivia Cheves hears how the Orkney-born artist takes a backseat on his new album, giving prominence to nature’s voices Merlyn Driver (Anna Haukka) To many, it would seem that Merlyn Driver had a storybook upbringing. Born and raised in on an off-grid smallholding in Orkney, the songwriter and field recordist’s childhood was spent scrabbling about in bogs and fields with his brothers and sisters.