“You married darling ?”, said Linda Mc Cartha Sandy-Lewis aka Calypso Rose, to all the boys, as she walked along the path from her dressing room towards the Siam Stage. Age was no barrier for our cheeky septogenarian, as one of the greatest, groundbreaking Calypsonian monarchs got in the mood to flex her mix of social commentary and wit in front of the WOMAD audience.
Words : Jill Turner
Images: Paul Tomlins

Nifty moves, natty drapes and energising music from purveyors of Mento, The Jolly Boys, leaves Debbie Golt ranking them as one of her favourite live music experiences, read her review of their gig at London's 100 club on 4th August, in the full article..

Sue Miller:revels in the new additions to the son repetoire found in Sierra Maestra's new album Sonando Ya. 'Asi se toca el son' - this is how to play Cuban son - clear, crisp, colourful and elegant with warm harmonised vocals and exquisitely melodic trumpet lines - these guys really know their roots….

Sue Miller: is transported back to the seafront cafes of Cuba's Malecon, as she listens to Los Autenticos from new label Ghetto Lounge. A rough recording that nevertheless has charm and energy and the authentic sound of Havana's Trova street musicians……

Jill Turner: sings along to 'ABCDEFG' the new album from Chumbawamba could easily be subtitled 'Our Life in A Song'. Seventeen cleverly crafted songs and ditties for all occasions, upbeat and with catchy melodies this is the poppy end of British Folk.

Sue Miller dreams of the summer with 'La Bala' from Mas Y Mas and concludes that despite being recorded in Cuba, 'La Bala' is in many ways an album of nicely arranged Spanish pop songs, albeit with a Cuban tinge……

At cash strapped GondwanaTowers we have the perfect solution for anyone who can't afford the tickets to the Sauti sa Busara Festival. Air Mail's latest budget release, Zanzibar - Savours of Spice lets you escape the European winter blues and be instantly transported to warmth and sunshine.

Jill Turner makes a date with: Bellevue Rendezvous, who demonstrate that they are specialists in all styles with their second album Salamander. Original tunes written for theatre productions sit side by side traditional European dance tunes and played seamlessly with a lightness of touch, a skip in their step and a depth of emotion where necessary from this Scottish acoustic trio.

Jill Turner enjoys a musical road map of Ethiopia, discovering a musical Eden full of treasures as Gogol Bordello bass man, Tommy T, inspired by the legend of Prester John, leaves the harsh punky Balkan sounds behind as he explores his own Ethiopian roots in The Prester John Sessions.

Jill Turner is confused after listening to Binder und Krieglstein's latest release, New Weird Austria
out on Frankfurt based Essay Recordings. Has the Essay A&R department gone completely bonkers ? Is this a pile of pants or the manifesto for some new art movement that I'm just not getting ....yet.