PAUL DONOVAN is chilled by the contemporary resonance of Harper Lee’s coming of age tale amidst racism and white supremacy in this excellent production
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Reggaeton violated by the new conquistadors
The genre that has historically been a voice for black resistance against strict racial hierarchies, oppressive social structures and police brutality is now increasingly being “white-washed," writes ELLEN REBECCA BISHELL
TRUE AND FAKE? Johnny Ventura and fans in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba in 2015 and Rosalia at the MTV EMAs 2018
GEOFF BOTTOMS recommends the unashamedly light-hearted escapism on offer in this stage version of the 1963 film
Full of mysterious religious references and radical sound design, the Scottish duo’s new offering is candidate for album of the year, suggests SIMON DUFF
MARY CONWAY revels in a powerful reminder that human lives are not defined by physical perfection
PAUL DONOVAN recommends the fine performances in this account of the pre-war meeting between the US president and the British king
TECLYN AROD relishes an intimate celebration of jazz improvisation that mixes local and national musicians
SPANISH singer Rosalia’s new album, Motomami, has received a lot of media attention for its melding of “every sound at her disposal.” Grounded in her flamenco background, the album sways from pop to jazz, is inflected with hip-hop and reggaeton beats and even features elements of bachata and salsa.
Rosalia rose to mainstream visibility in 2018 when her studio album El Mal Querer (The Bad Loving) landed in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. But the recent comparison by academics of Rosalia’s rise to fame with the “evolution of reggaeton from its Afro-Caribbean roots to a genre with global cachet” speaks to the silencing of the music’s rich socio-cultural history.
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