Songlines

Songlines is the definitive magazine for world music – music that has its roots in all parts of the globe, from Mali to Mexico, India to Iraq. Whether this music is defined as traditional, contemporary, folk or fusion, Songlines is the only publication to truly represent and embrace it. However, Songlines is not just about music, but about how the music fits into the landscape; it’s about politics, history and identity, and the artists who incite change through their music. Through its extensive articles and reviews, Songlines is your essential guide to an extraordinary world of music and culture, whether you are starting on your journey of discovery or are already a seasoned fan.

Songlines

The world’s magazine?

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE INCLUDE

TOP OF THE WORLD • On your free CD - our editors' selection of the best new releases reviewed in this issue

No Comparison • Sinead O’Connor’s music was full of honesty and passion, and none more so than on the many folk songs she sang throughout her career. We look at how she imbibed these traditional songs with her singular touch

THE GLOBE AT A GLANCE

Searching for Achill • A new album captures the wonder of one of Ireland’s most beautiful islands

IT’S HAPPENING

THANK YOU FOR HEARING ME • Currently on the Songlines stereo…

Tajik Tales • An unlikely series of events led to a new compilation of Tajikistan folk music

50 Years of Hurt • On September 11, 1973, a military dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet overthrew Chile’s socialist, elected government of Salvador Allende. In the 50 years since, the protest song has become an art form in Chile, its importance remaining relevant despite the end of the dictatorship in 1990, as recent student protests demonstrated. Pablo Navarrete chooses five songs that speak of Chile’s past and present need to have a voice.

João Donato (1934-2023) • Brazilian musical visionary

And farewell to…

THE MUSIC OF LATIN AMERICA

WOMAD 2023

Yamäya • This 11-piece is bringing Fela’s Shrine to the Sussex coast. “We need to make significant reparations for our ancestral history,” they tell Russell Higham

Nana Benz du Togo • DIY percussion, 90s dance music and vodoun vocals converge in a new Togolese group on a humanitarian mission. Daniel Spicer gets the lowdown

THE 100 JAZZ ALBUMS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD

SPOTLIGHT iLe • Whether singing boleros or bombas, passion is the key for this Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, as Catalina Maria Johnson discovers

SIMON SAYS… • Simon Broughton explores Norwegian music, culture and Midsummer rituals through the art of Nikolai Astrup

Next Issue…

FEEDBACK • Letters, shout-outs, comments, emails and everything in between

GODDESS of GOOD • The world is suffering, and Yungchen Lhamo has the remedy: kindness. One drop at a time. “I sing to help transform people’s minds,” she tells Jane Cornwell

Brothers Beyond • Balimaya Project’s latest album finds the group united, vulnerable and ready to take on the world. Erin Cobby speaks to bandleader Yahael Camara Onono about their evolution and tunited, vulnerablehe need to appreciate heritage. “We’ve come so far,” he says, “in a short space of time.”

BEHIND THE BALIMAYA BEAT • Yahael Camara Onono talks us through five albums that have left an indelible imprint on him and his music.

UM GRANDE ABRAÇO (A Big Hug) • On October 11 Gilberto Gil will play the Royal Albert Hall. It will be his last-ever show in London. Now 81 years old, he released his first album in 1967, and over 60 studio albums since. He has rarely stopped, even when forced into exile by a dictatorship. We felt now was a great time to ask some of his fellow Brazilian musicians to choose their...