Robin James Hurt’s “A Song, A Story Told” arrives with a sound you can almost run a thumb over, like worn corduroy. In an age of sterile, diamond-polished productions, this album is a defiantly handmade thing, tracked onto vintage cassette machines. The result is not a flaw, but an ingredient. A faint, persistent hiss breathes alongside the instruments, a ghost in the machine who...

The album title of Baba Kuboye's most recent record is "Cultural Canvas," and it's an extravagant blend of songs and stories that honour his rich African history. The picture in question is concealed away deep inside the album's rhythmic heart. There is no refuting Baba's abilities because he was born into a singing family. His parents, jazz greats Fran and Tunde Kuboye, and his uncle,...