From a remastered collection of hits by an icon of Kenyan music, to a new album by a rising star of Afrobeats, and a fresh twist to timeless Christmas songs, here are five albums that have dropped on streaming platforms this month that are well worth adding to your playlists.
The first career retrospective from one of the all-time greats of Kenyan music contains 17 of the best singles of Joseph Kamaru’s illustrious career remastered from the original tapes. The UK label Disciples has released this album, digitally and on vinyl, with the assistance of Kamaru’s grandson KMRU who is himself also a musician.
There is a very interesting mix of musical styles that illustrate the musical versatility of Kamaru, from the soul-funk groove of Kenya Kurungara to the pure benga of Gari La Trela, Karolina and the deeply emotional J.M. Kariuki released in the wake of the politician’s assassination in 1975.
The physical copy of the album comes with detailed liner notes by the Kenyan scholar Maina wa Mutonya who has studied and written extensively on the works of Joseph Kamaru, and Italy-based music journalist Megan Iacobini de Fazio.
Mario
Mood Swings
Mario has come a long way since he burst on the scene as 15-year-old in 2002 with the classic Just a Friend, the track that turned him into an R&B sensation, and the follow up, the Grammy nominated Let Me Love You.
His latest release, an 8-track EP that dropped on November 14, 2025, lives up to the singer-songwriter, actor and entrepreneur’s trademark sleek R&B style.
True to the name of the EP, the songs are a mix of up-tempo dance tunes like the title track and some silky-smooth, romantic numbers like Home, Chosen and Friends featuring a verse by R&B star Ty Dolla $ign.
The outstanding tune on the EP is the silky Nobody but Us, a catchy mid-tempo arrangement where Mario delivers his tried and tested vocal style that has put him in the top league of contemporary male performers.
Seyi Vibez
Fuji Moto
Promotional album cover for Fuji Moto by Seyi Vibez.
Photo credit: Pool
Afrobeats has become a global movement and the success of heavy hitters like Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, and Ayra Starr has opened the doors for a steady stream of new, hungry Nigerian acts. Among the biggest of the new crop of artistes in the genre is Seyi Vibez (he has already collaborated with both Burna and Ayra).
The 25-year-old singer-songwriter from Lagos State who built his career with hard-hitting street rhythms, combines Yoruba music from the 1960s, with cutting edge Afropop sounds on his new album Fuji Moto.
Fuji music has traditionally been popular in the North West of Nigeria but thanks to stars like Asake, Fireboy DML and now Seyi Vibez, the genre has been acquired a contemporary edge
The standout tracks on the album are How are You, which contains an interpolation of Bobby Caldwell’s soul classic What You Won’t Do for Love, and the infectious Macho featuring American rapper NLE Choppa.
Another big-name US rapper French Montana jumps on a remix of the superb Pressure, while the high energy Fuji Party features Nigerian Afrobeats star Olamide.
If you are looking for a song to lift up your mood then turn on the appropriately named Happy Song whose choral refrain is divine. As Seyi told Apple Music in February 2025, “Whether we are good, or we are struggling, we are hungry, or we are in any kind of position we are in as African children, we are always happy.”
Madonna
Confessions On a Dance Floor (20 Year Edition)
The Queen of Pop, Madonna, marks the 20th anniversary of her iconic dance album Confessions on a Dance Floor.
Photo credit: Pool
To commemorate two decades since the release of this dance-oriented album that was hailed as her comeback for the Queen of Pop after a blip in her career, it has been reissued with several bonus tracks and remixes.
The album opens with the disco-influenced anthem Hung Up, flavored with a sample from the famous Abba 1979 classic Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie (Madonna had to personally seek permission from the iconic Swedish group to use the sample). That sets the pace for the rest of the songs that are sequenced so that they are played continuously like a DJ’s set
There are also additional remix versions of Hung Up, Sorry, Get Together and Jump, along with a never-before-seen behind-the-scenes clip from the making of the Hung Up video, now available on Madonna’s YouTube channel.
Her fans are bracing themselves for the release of the EP Bedtime Stories – The Untold Chapter at the end of next week marking the 30th anniversary of her sixth studio album.
Herb Alpert
Christmas Time Is Here
Promotional album cover for Christmas Time Is Here by Herb Alpert.
Photo credit: Pool
Even at the age of 90, the legendary trumpeter, composer and record company executive is still touring and recording and his latest offering is timely for the holiday season.
“That’s what I do to stay healthy,” Alpert told Billboard magazine earlier this month. “I Like to record and if I can sing a song that haunts me for some reason and do it in a way that’s different, that people haven’t heard before…that’s what I do.” He has reimagined 12 Christmas favorites like Feliz Navidad, Jingle Bells, The Christmas Song and contemporary holiday hit, Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas with distinctive horn arrangements.
