CONTENTS 21 Spotlight Dessislava Stefanova of LBC 67 WOMADelaide S a m i r C K 34 Damir Imamović UPFRONT 06 Top of the World CD 09 What’s New 14 Folk Focus 16 Introducing... Afro Cluster & Sunny Jain 18 Simon Says 19 Letters 21 Spotlight: London Bulgarian Choir FEATURES 22 Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela Africa’s titans finally release their album 26 Songlines Music Awards 2020 The nominations 30 Moonlight Benjamin The voodoo priestess of Haitian blues rock 34 Damir Imamović The voodoo priestess of Haitian blues rock Damir Imamović The Bosnian singer on how sevdah has evolved San Salvador France’s dynamic vocal sextet The Bosnian singer on how sevdah has evolved 36 San Salvador France’s dynamic vocal sextet REVIEWS 42 Africa 46 Americas 48 Europe 55 Asia 56 Middle East 58 Fusion 64 World Cinema 66 Live Reviews 66 Live Reviews This world of sound has been available for thousands of years and will outlive “This world of sound has been available for thousands of years and will outlive any fashions or misconceptions about what is or isn’t entertaining” Vula Viel’s Bex Burch ponders whether ‘boring’ any fashions or misconceptions about what is or isn’t entertaining” Vula Viel’s Bex Burch ponders whether ‘boring’ music is all that bad, Soapbox p81 music is all that bad, Soapbox p81 WWW.SONGLINES.CO.UK Ngaiire D i a n n e B r o o k s REGULARS 68 My World: David Rothenberg 71 Postcard from Valledupar, Colombia 72 Beginner’s Guide to Juan Martín 74 Festival Pass: Viljandi Folk Music Festival 77 Dispatch from Music Festival 77 Dispatch from Dakar, Senegal 79 Quickfire 80 Songlines Dakar, Senegal 79 Quickfire 80 Songlines Streaming Sessions 81 Soapbox 82 Essential 10: Sessions 81 Soapbox 82 Essential 10: Haitian Albums Haitian Albums 17 Sunny Jain 17 Sunny Jain ISSUE 157 › SONGLINES 05 ISSUE 157