Los de Abajo: Actitud Calle

Robin Denselow reviews Los de Abajo's Actitud Calle.

Mexico's best-known ska and fusion band have been mysteriously quiet since they released the glorious LDA vs the Lunatics set five years ago, which famously included their Latin reworking of The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum. Now they are back, with only five members of the old band featured in the new, expanded 10-piece lineup, but they still sound slick, distinctive and energetic, if no longer quite as experimental as in the past. This is a band who have always specialised in variety, and can switch seamlessly between styles, easing from brassy ska to hip-hop, then adding in anything from traditional Mexican styles to salsa, acoustic guitar passages or global influences.

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Joana Amendoeira: A Flor da Pele

Michael Church reviews Joana Amendoeira's A Flor da Pele.

Amendoeira's fado-singing is wonderfully subtle.

Each song has its own character, and each phrase is exquisitely shaped: several of the lyrics are newly written for her, but all draw from that well of inspiration which has nourished fado since its inception a century and a half ago.

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Various Artists: Africa - 50 Years of Music 1960-2010

Neil Spencer reviews Africa - 50 Years of Music 1960-2010.

By comparison, we live in an age of sophistication, where Nigerian Afrobeat and Malian desert blues are carefully distinguished even by western audiences who have come to the music via enthusiasts such as Damon Albarn and Vampire Weekend. Lovingly researched compilations of antique Africana, concentrating on the 1960s and 1970s, have also blossomed recently, sometimes resurrecting careers. "Acts like Senegal's Orchestra Baobab or Benin's Orchestre Poly-Rythmo are forgotten in their own country," says Urbanus, "but they can now tour Europe or even America."

The changes in African music are in many instances tied to the tides of the post-colonial era. West Africa's large orchestras, much influenced by Cuban music, fell apart as post-independence euphoria was dashed by corruption, economic collapse and dictatorship. Many musicians simply fled abroad, with Paris their preferred destination. That city became the crucible for a new spirit of Afro-modernity, with Ibrahim Sylla, in particular, bringing technological know-how and a radical ear to the numerous west African exiles shuttling between their homeland and the new frontiers of Europe. As author Mark Hudson puts it in his essay in 50 Years of Music: "The principal site in the development wasn't now the nightclub or the concert hall but the airport."

The crossover breakthroughs that followed have proved hard to maintain. "One problem is that the music becomes a novelty that fades," says Urbanus. "Nigeria's Sunny Adé was hailed when he was promoted here in the 80s, but after three albums people started to think, 'Do I want another juju album?' It's difficult to achieve longevity."

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Seu Jorge: Seu Jorge & Almaz

Robin Denselow reviews Seu Jorge's Seu Jorge & Almaz.

Seu Jorge is the wild card of contemporary Brazilian music. He's a soulful samba star and successful actor, best known for his roles in City of God and The Life Aquatic, in which he sang acoustic versions of Bowie songs in Portuguese. Now comes another surprise, with this extraordinary album of even more unlikely cover versions, on which he is backed by the powerful trio of drummer Pupillo and guitarist Lucio Maia from that great band Nação Zumbi, along with bassist Antonio Pinto. The result is an exercise in freewheeling psychedelic samba and funk, with Maia's epic guitar work matched by intimate and relaxed vocals from Jorge.

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Natacha Atlas: Mounqaliba

Robin Denselow reviews Natacha Atlas' Mounqaliba.

Two years ago, Natacha Atlas dramatically changed musical direction. Once known for her furious fusion of Arabic pop, beats and belly dancing, she recorded a subtle acoustic album, Ana Hina, in which she was backed by ney flute, cello and piano. It was a triumphant move, and it was only to be expected that she would continue to explore further acoustic fusions of Middle Eastern and western styles. What was not to be predicted is that she would record an album as unexciting as Mounqaliba.

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