Salimata Diabate - Kolokagni (African World Music)
Salimata Diabate's music contains elements of Senegalese, Guinean and even Malian tradition and that's not a coincidence; Diabate was born in Dakar, but already started to travel the world with the Ballet National de Guinée at the age of ten! 'Kolokagni' is reminiscent of the Cuban influenced music Salif Keita and Baaba Maal turned out when they were both still signed with Island Records.
Sugar Minott - Reggae Anthology: Hard Time Pressure (17 North Parade/VP Records)
Just over a year after his premature death, VP Records honors the great Sugar Minott with this double CD/DVD anthology.
I Wayne - Life Teachings (VP Records)
At the time of his debut album, 'Lava Ground', now more than five years ago, we still described I Wayne as: "the most hyped Jamaican artist after Sizzla.
Glen Washington - Most Wanted (VP Records)
VP Records seems to have taken charge of Greensleeves' Most Wanted series and opted to put the work of Glen Washington in the spotlight.
DRC Music - Kinshasa One Two (Warp Records)
DRC Music's 'Kinshasa One Two' one moment sounds like an African fever dream and the following resembles an LSD-trip through the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.
Various Artists - Reggae’s Gone Country (VP Records)
The fact one can create a reggae version of just about any song is nothing new and without the musical influences from the United States (which reggae musician was not influenced by the soul of Curtis Mayfield and his Impressions) the Jamaican music landscape might have looked very different.
Sanchez - Love You More (VP Records)
Sanchez migrated to the United States a few years ago and that move seems to have affected his music.
Various Artists - Black Feeling 1 & 2 + Ray Lugo & The Boogaloo Destroyers - Mi Watusi + Shaolin Afronauts - Flight Of The Ancients (Freestyle Records)
It's always nice to be able to present a new label and this time that's the English Freestyle Records, founded in 2003 and mainly specializing in funk, jazz, soul and Latin music.
Banda Black Rio - SuperNovaSambaFunk + Various Artists - Nicola Conte presents Viagem 1, 2 & 3 (Far Out Recordings)
'SuperNovaSambaFunk' is the new album by a band that in Brazil needs no introduction: funk formation Banda Black Rio! Banda Black Rio was established in the early 1970s and these days a second generation of musicians has taken over from their founding fathers.
Fool's Gold - Leave No Trace (I Am Sound Records/Wagram)
Yours truly was still very enthusiastic about the debut of Californian Fool's Gold, but their alternately Hebrew and English mix of African music, krautrock and 1980s pop and dance, seems to have all but disappeared on 'Leave No Trace'.
JuJu - In Trance (Real World Records)
On their debut album 'Soul Science' (Wayward Records, 2008) Juldeh Camara and Justin Adams still appeared under their own names, but for 'In Trance' they abbreviated them to the tasty JuJu, a term referring to the witchcraft inspired religion which originated in West-Africa and made its way to America.
Sebastian Sturm - Get Up & Get Going (Rootdown Records/Soulbeats Records)
For his third studio album Sebastian Sturm ended his collaboration with the Jin Jin Band and that can be heard; 'Get Up & Get Going' sounds rougher and heavier than its predecessors, making Sturm's somewhat mellow reggae gain maturity and strength.
Tinariwen - Tassili (V2)
Tinariwen has become the victim of its own success; as one of the few bands in the so-called world music genre this Tuareg band also managed to get the respect of the established pop and rock world, a world in which one day you're still hot, only to be written off the next.
Warrior King - Tell Me How Me Sound (Tad's Record)
After the disappointing 'Love Is In The Air' (of which the title track reappears on 'Tell Me How Me Sound') Warrior King seems to be on the right track again.
SuperHeavy - SuperHeavy (Universal)
Yours truly would be very surprised if you hadn't heard about SuperHeavy, the super project uniting Dave Stewart, Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, A.
Brushy One String - The King Of One String (RiseUp Entertainment)
Luciano Blotta, director of the acclaimed 2009 documentary 'RiseUp' now focuses his energy on disclosing what he describes as "the Jamaican underground".
Asante Amen - Over The Years: The Underground Project (High Priest Records)
Very occasionally a seasoned music critic like yours truly still stumbles on a small miracle and 'Over The Years', the album debut by Asante Amen is exactly that! 'Over The Years' is without any doubt one of the best albums yours truly had the pleasure listening to over the past year and nowhere gives the impression you're listening to the debut effort of an upcoming artist; on the contrary, Asante Amen sounds like a veteran who's already been at it for many years.
Various Artists - Golden Beirut: New Sounds From Lebanon (Out Here Records)
With 'Golden Beirut: New Sounds From Lebanon' Out Here Records set out to map the little-known Lebanese underground scene; an original and fun idea in theory, but unfortunately yours truly wasn't too impressed with this compilation as the Lebanese underground scene apparently produces the same electro, hip-hop and indie rock we're flooded with on a daily basis in Europe.
Buritaca - Barawanié + La Limoncello - Equinox (Kasba Music)
Buritaca (previously Buritaca 200) is a collective of mainly Colombian migrants who got to know each other in Barcelona.
Taj Weekes & Adowa - A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen (Jatta Records)
If we didn't know any better we would have sworn 'A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen' was a new Sebastian Sturm album, but in fact this is the new album by Saint Lucian Taj Weekes and his band Adowa.