Kadialy Kouyate

Toña

ARC, 2025

9/10

Listen to Toña

The Senegalese kora extraordinaire Kadialy Kouyate returns with a 9th album, where he touches on our experiences, both personal and collective, which shape our beliefs, values, and decisions via these cultured 10 tracks.

“Kana Cumbo (Don’t Cry)” begins with the flowing kora alongside playful bass and a very warm spirit, and “Kibaroh (News)” follows with meticulous string interaction that emits much wonder and beauty amid the frisky percussion.

Moving into the middle, “Famo Keta (It’s Been A While)” recruits Josh Middleton’s rich accordion that adds much to the melodic climate, while “Jamba Dongo (Dance Of Leaves)” uses Kouyate’s intricate strings and drumming qualities for the melodic album highlight.

Near the end, “Hameh Julo (Song of Ambition)” emits soaring vocal acrobatics alongside the radiant kora and layered song craft, and “Ca Ira (It’s Going To Be Alright)” exits with plenty of rhythm and grooves that you could dance to, which unfold with elegance and worldly flavor.

A very personal effort that embraces Kouyate’s cultural upbringing, local traditions and migration, also in attendance are Davide Mantovani (double bass, electric bass); Mamadou Sarr (calabash, jembe, sabar percussion); Abdoulaye Samb (guitar); Al MacSween (keyboard); and Mina Mikhael Salama (oud), who enhance the appeal of this authentic effort.

Travels well with: Alvorada- Faz Tempo; Ozan Baysal- Tel ve Ten

Matthew Alec And The Soul Electric

Bad Rep In The Rubber City

Self-Released, 2025

8/10

Listen to Bad Rep Rubber City

The Cleveland fusion supergroup Matthew Alec And The Soul Electric are already making a name for themselves in their hometown, and these new 9 songs expand on their jazz, pop and funk hybrid via mostly live recordings.

Alec’s rich tenor sax opens the disc with “Blue Train”, where Minus The Alien adds vocals and Greg Banaszak’s alto sax won’t go unnoticed, and “Quantum Entanglement” follows with dueling saxes that radiate tremendous interplay.

Moving into the middle, “Gravity” features Brian Woods warm piano and soulful singing alongside Jared Lees’ fluid bass, while “Bambu” offers an energetic moment via Miguel Tarin Torres’ funky bass lines and Jeremiah ‘The Franchise’ Hawkins’ acrobatic drumming.

Arriving near the end, the dance floor ready “Whinin’ Boy Moan” recruits Steven Forrest Sanders’ animated guitar licks and vocals that suit the lively saxophones, and “Thinking Out Loud” exits with a dreamy ambience thanks to the rich sax and Brian Randall’s cozy percussion.

This is the 4th album from the outfit, and the live tracks sound just as meticulous as the 2 studio selections, where hip-hip, Big Band and plenty of old school nods enter the fusion fun.

Travels well with: The Chris Parker Quintet- Heart Of Mine; Elijah Rock- Memories Unleashed- Impulse 1

Teddy Abrams

Preludes

New Amsterdam, 2025

9/10

Listen to Preludes

The Grammy winner Teddy Abrams returns with 16 pieces that take inspiration from classical work such as Bach’s Inventions and Bartok’s Mikrokosmos and are fleshed out via his strong compositional language.

The cozy mood of the reflective “Microcosm” starts the listen with much grace, and it isn’t long until the atmospheric “The Scream” enters with waves of ambience.

Close to the middle, “Combined Species” radiates a cinematic quality via the precise fingers, while “Found Material” moves softly, intimately and with a warm spirit that’s heartfelt.

Arriving near the end, “Pyotr” rumbles a bit in its meticulous execution that’s also pretty, and “Macrocosm” exits with the swirling keys radiating tremendous melodies and no lack of timelessness.

Abrams works with Gabriel Kahane and Casey Foubert on the production and recording side here, and together they create an introspective, harmonic and sometimes manipulated affair that resonates long after the music stops.

Travels well with: Juri Seo/Latitude 49- Obsolete Music; Alex Paxton- Delicious

Jack Barksdale

Voices

Truly Handmade, 2025

9/10

Listen to Voices

An artist who made a dent while still in his teens, the youngster Jack Barksdale delivers like an old soul, and here he brings us 11 songs penned entirely by himself and recruits an all star cast.

The warm spirit of “The Man, The Myth, The Legend” opens with Barksdale’s soft voice that suits the gentle ambience, and “Martyrs” follows with Sarah Jarosz’s elegant mandolin complementing the poetic beauty.

Moving into the middle, “A Funny Song” allows for Barksdale’s intimate guitar to radiate amid his heartfelt singing, while “Song Of The Artist” is a fuller moment that benefits from the layered guitars.

Landing near the end, Mike Meadows’ light drums complement the lullaby mood of “The End Of Days”, and the title track exits with strategic percussion and stirring strings surrounding Barksdale’s touching delivery.

Although Barksdale’s pipes and guitar are the focus here, the sparing but effective use of accordion (Bukka Allen), oahu slide guitar (Jeff Plankenhorn), cello (Diana Burgess) and violin and viola (Luke Moller) won’t go unnoticed across this thoughtful and mature body of work.

Travels well with: Jack Barksdale- Death Of A Hummingbird; Jack Barksdale- Live From Niles City

Joel Arnow

Woken Up In Broken Places

Adhyaropa, 2025

9/10

Listen to Woken Up In Broken Places

The esteemed producer and songwriter Joel Arnow takes inspiration from Blake Mills, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois for these 11 adventurous tracks.

The warm ambience of “Get Up And Shake” opens with cozy singing and fluid acoustic guitar before crisp drums enter, and “Woken Up In Broken Places” follows with playful bass lines that suit the punchy, roots rock flavor.

Entering the middle, “Feels Like A Lonely Time To Be Alright” emits dreamy electric guitar and pretty female backing vocals thanks to the frisky pace, while “I Won’t Change My Mind” carries soulfulness amid the ambience and retro fueled melodies.

Closer to the end, “Bend Down Your Heart” welcomes nostalgic keys and Sophie Buskin’s cozy pipes to the heartbreaking album highlight, and “Everybody Wants The Same Thing” exits with nods to the Beatles via a scrappy and memorable finish.

A highly diverse effort that touches on jazz, folk, Americana and the undying spirit of rock’n’roll, Arnow benefits from the help of Michael Bellar (keys), Paul Orbell (guitar) and Alastair Ottesen (vocals) for this timeless body of work.

Travels well with: Marcello Zapperaeddu- Third Floor; Will Holshouser- The Lone Wild Bird

Peter Lewis

The Road To Zion

Omad, 2019

8/10

Listen to The Road To Zion

Though the name Peter Lewis may not ring a bell, most of us will have heard of his band Moby Grape, who have been active in every decade since the ‘60s. Taking plenty of nods from his seminal band, on this solo effort Lewis has his spirit firmly planted in the ‘60s, but injects plenty of modern ideas as well.

The title track gets the album started with acoustic guitars and soft vocals from Lewis that seem familiar and comforting, and “Down By The Water” follows with a dusty country influence in the memorable tune.

Further along, “When I Think Of Me” brings in a warbly Americana feeling to an introspective moment, while “In This Place”, which is one of the record’s best, offers a bright, jangly moment of pop influence.

Deeper in the listen we get “A Song For Kris (This Memory)”, a folk influenced moment of graceful beauty, the highly rhythmic “When I’m Gone”, and the harmonica and key friendly “Only A Fool”. “For The Gypsy” ends the listen calm and agile, as Lewis gets intimate and wise.

Sure, it’s only his 3rd solo album, but Lewis has been behind so much inspiring music and his vast experience helps make The Road To Zion on par with the greatness of anything he’s done, both on his own or with Moby Grape.

Travels well with: Buffalo Springfield- Last Time Around; The Byrds- Farther Along