Quarterly Critic’s Choice
The best and most interesting new releases of the previous three months are awarded a place on the Quarterly Critic’s Choice. Evaluation criteria are artistic quality, repertoire value, presentation, and sound quality. From 2014 onward, the Long Lists are stored directly with each Quarterly Critic’s Choice.
NEW: Long List 2/2024, published on 5th April 2024
World Music
Ayom
flowfish records 195448938876 (Broken Silence)
The band Ayom sounds like they’ve been cultivating their Brazil-Cape Verde-Mediterranean mix for years. Yet the Brazilian singer Jabu Morales only met the Forró Quartet from Italy almost two years ago. The variety of rhythms used is overwhelming: Merengue, Samba, Cumbia, Calypso, Tarantella, Polka…. Not easy to get right! But they make it work remarkably well, contagiously cheerful, light-footed, and airy. A compact rhythm group, a multifaceted accordion, a radiant lead voice, a balanced production: the feel-good album of the season is ready. For the jury: Jodok W. Kobelt