![Album Review: Theon Cross – Fyah [Gearbox Records; February 2019]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/theoncrossfyahcover-335x335.jpg)
“People always underestimate the tuba” observes Theon Cross, whose new album Fyah sets out to put this straight with fierce intent. Cross is an alumni of Tomorrow’s Warriors – the free music education programme resident at Southbank Centre, responsible for the health and diversity of the London jazz scene right...
Album Review
Articles![Album Review: Inna De Yard – Inna De Yard [Wagram / Chapter Two; April 2019]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/innadeyardcover-335x335.jpg)
Bridging de generations, Inna De Yard were formed when reggae stars Ken Boothe, Cedric Myton (of the legendary Congos), Winston McAnuff and Kiddus I came together to record the album Soul of Jamaica in 2017. Now, two years later, they are back for another puff of da chalice with a brand-new album...
![Album Review: Ifriqiyya Électrique – Laylet El Booree [Glitterbeat Records; April 2019]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/laylet-el-booree-cover-335x335.jpg)
We are going to be honest from the beginning; listening to Ifriqiyya Électrique, as much as writing about them, is never straightforward. The plain and simple reason is because you need to go far beyond the music borders when approaching their music. Experiencing Ifriqiyya Électrique’s sound is a mystical, if...
![Album Review: Rocky Dawuni – Beats of Zion [AQUARIAN Records / Six Degrees; March 2019]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/rockydawunibeastsofzioncover-335x293.jpg)
Ghanaian artist and producer Rocky Dawuni is one of the world’s leading African artists, not only specialising in reggae music, but using his influence as a platform for activism. Last year, in 2018, he was named the UN Goodwill Ambassador of Africa. His seventh album titled Beats of Zion has...
![Album Review: Nubiyan Twist – Jungle Run [Strut Records; February 2019]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/nubiyantwistjungleruncover-335x335.jpg)
Jazz has many different guises and, within those guises, a further plethora of textures. It’s one of the traits that sets it apart from other genres, classical music excepted. In the ongoing revival and reinvention of jazz within these shores, there is clearly a surfeit of talent. Nestled in amongst...
![Album Review: The Last Poets – Understanding What Dub Is [Studio Rockers; March 2019]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/lastpoetsunderstanddubcover-335x335.jpg)
The Last Poets need no introduction, yet I find myself being reintroduced to them through their album Understanding What Dub Is (released by Studio Rockers). With their origins in Harlem in the late 1960s and the early hip-hop community, their spoken-word poetry, merged with political activism, is a sound that has...
![Album Review: Cykada – Cykada LP [Astigmatic Records; March 2019]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cykadacover-335x335.jpg)
Cykada’s first album release, Cykada, is a colourful mix of styles and activity, condensed into five instrumental pieces. The compositions they have created are both unexpected and groovy. The drum kit sounds melodic and the FX helps to transform the musicians’ possibilities. Cykada take on a lot of music styles:...
![Album Review: Fémina – Perlas & Conchas [Fémina Music; April 2019]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/feminacover-335x335.jpg)
An Argentine group who stood out from their peers with their proud feminist stance, Fémina consists of Clara Trucco, Sofia Trucco (both of whom are sisters) and Clara Miglioli. The latter two are the founding members, who originally channelled their American hip-hop influences, but once Clara Trucco joined, they began...
![Album Review: Dub Colossus – Dr Strangedub (Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Dub the Bomb) [Echomaster; 2019]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/dubcolossu-strangedub-cover-335x330.jpg)
Dr Strangedub (Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Dub the Bomb) is possibly one of the most inventive albums to date. Each track is an enthusiastic cacophony of global traditions and contemporary fusions without being reduced by genre boundaries or five-minute clichés. Dr Strangedub was a long time...
![Album Review: Fokn Bois – Afrobeats LOL [FOKN INC; February 2019]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/foknbois-cover-335x335.jpg)
Pidgin rap provocateurs Fokn Bois are back with seven-track EP Afrobeats LOL, which satirises the globalised afrobeats genre, albeit using its riddims and dances. With features by Mr Eazi and Sister Deborah, plus elder of highlife Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, Afrobeats LOL has all the catchy swag of the genre it parodies...