Best of 2009 (the Globe)

1. 

   1. Mulatu Astatke & the Heliocentrics: Inspiration Information 3

   We were all expecting great albums from Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear and Flaming Lips in 2009, but this record arrived with little fanfare and knocked us for a loop. Mulatu Astatke (born 1943) i...read more

2. 

   2. Amadou & Mariam: Welcome to Mali

   Such a simple title for such a spectacular piece of music. Welcome to Mali is also a bit misleading, as the divine duo of Amadou & Mariam made an album that is so very much a product of Earth r...read more

3. 

   3. The Very Best: Warm Heart of Africa

   On the heels of last year’s well-received mixtape, Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya and European production duo Radioclit hit 2009 with another diverse collection of infectious Afropop, Warm He...read more

4. 

   4. v/a: Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds and Ghanaian Blue 1968-1981

   This two-CD set comes from the people who’ve previously compiled the Nigeria Special and Ghana Soundz series. This album is less psychedelic than the former and much closer to the first Nigeria S...read more

5. 

   5. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou Dahomey: Echos Hypnotiques, Vol. 2

   The second volume of Analog Africa’s OPRC reissues is subtitled From the Vaults of Albarika Store 1969-1979. This disc sounds much better than the fine but motley volume 1, for the material here ...read more

6. 

   6. v/a: Legends of Benin

   This compilation covers just one small country—but a lot of territory in terms of time (1969-81) and style (Afro-funk, Cavacha, Agbadja, Afrobeat). Aside from Antoine Dougbe & Orchestre P...read more

7. 

   7. v/a: Nigeria 70: The Definitive Story of 1970s Funky Lagos

   This two-CD package comprises the music from a 2001 box set that also included a third disc with an audio documentary with interviews (a note in the booklet shows where that’s available for free ...read more

8. 

   8. v/a: Tumbele: Biguine, Afro and Latin Sounds from the French Caribbean, 1963-1974

   This is a real musical melting pot from Guadeloupe and Martinique. When black musicians had mixed their traditional bélé music with polka and other more formal white dance styles (and perhaps wit...read more

Tags: african , afro-pop , exuberant , funk , globe , indie , jazz , soul