We’re approaching that time of year when, if you’re a DJ or music writer, people start to ask you for a list your favorite CDs of the year. I love lists anyway so I thought I might jump the gun and give everyone a few holiday gift ideas for that special World Music fanatic brother, sister, spouse, roommate, etc. I’m soliciting lists from a lot of other international music junkies I know so look for more lists coming soon. Below are my Top 10 favorites CDs of 2011 (in no particular order):
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Artist: SERGENT GARCIA | Album: UNA Y OTRA VEZ Label: Cumbancha  Fans of Manu Chao take note. Bruno “Sergent” Garcia has the same multi-national, multi-lingual, punk and indie-rock credentials but his musical palette is larger including not only reggae, but salsa and cumbia as well. Much of this CD was inspired by and recorded in Colombia where he was joined by musicians Bomba Estereo, Sidestepper, La Mojarra Electrica and others. Download MP3 | Buy CD |
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Artist: VARIOUS | Album: RED HOT + RIO 2 Label: eOne The first volume of this AIDS charity compilation was a wonderful revisit of the bossa nova classics of the sixties by various Brazilian and international stars. This 2-CD second volume is an update on the Brazilian tropicalia hits of the seventies performed by even more ambitious and numerous international pairings like Beck + Seu Jorge, Forro in the Dark + Angelique Kidjo, David Byrne + Caetano Veloso, Los Van Van + Carlinhos Brown to name a few. Download MP3 | Buy CD |
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Artist: LOS CHICHARRONS | Album: ROOTS OF LIFE Label: Tummy Touch A Latin and European production duo (Ramon Santana/Morten Varano) put this recording together using mainly Malian singers and musicians and mixing West African instruments like the balafon & kora with keyboards & brass, all backed by African, Latin & electronic beats. Buy CD |
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Artist: CALLE 13 | Album: ENTREN LOS QUE QUIERAN Label: Sony These Puerto Rican, socially-conscious rappers continue to expand their musical horizons by collaborating with international artists like Nigeria’s Seun Kuti on an Afrobeat track and Latin divas Susana Baca (Peru), Toto La Momposina (Colombia), and Maria Rita (Brazil) on an anthem for Latin America. There’s also a raucous merengue to party to and a whole lot more. They deservedly dominated the Latin Grammys this year with this album. Download MP3 | Buy CD |
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Artist: KARSH KALE | Album: CINEMA Label | Six Degrees Indian American musician, producer, and film composer handles all of the Western instrumentation and electronics on these “cinematic” songs which feature various Indian vocalists (Anne Rani, Vidhi Sharma, Shahid Siddiqui, Papon Angaraad, Shruti Pathak, others) and instrumentalists. Download MP3 | Buy CD |
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Artist: ROGE | Album: FALA GERAL Label: Bolacha After enjoying this Rio De Janeiro native’s charismatic solo show at SXSW this year, I was anxious to hear his latest CD and have had a hard time not playing it every week since on Horizontes. The opening track, “Fala Brasil”, has become the unofficial show opener. A great mix of bossa nova, samba & reggae. Download MP3  | Buy CD |
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Artist: Kiran Ahluwalia | Album: Aam Zameen Label: Kiran Music This Indian singer, raised in Canada, always includes some non-Indian instrumentation in her recordings. On this CD, the African desert blues sound of the Tuareg groups Tinariwen and Terakaft blend wonderfully with the traditional Punjabi ghazals (love poems) she sings. Download MP3 | Buy CD |
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Artist: ASTER AWEKE | Album: CHECHEHO Label: Kabu Exiled Ethiopian singer Aster Aweke continues to be the most popular singer among Ethiopians at home and abroad. People often compare her to Aretha Franklin due to her soaring voice and the Memphis horns-like backing her bands provide. Download MP3 | Buy CD |
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Artist: Echocentrics | Album: SUNSHADOWS Label: Ubiquity It’s always a pleasure to be able to include a local release in my Top 10 and local musician/producer Adrian Quesada (Grupo Fantasma, Brownout, Ocote Soul Sounds) seems to come up with something annually for my list. Of course, this Latin electronica release is hardly local in scope, in that it features Brazilian singer Tita Lima and Argentinian singer Natalia Clavier. Download MP3 | Buy CD |
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Artist: PEDRO LUIS FERRER | Album: TANGIBLE Label: Escondida I’ve always been a fan of this Cuban troubadour and he does not disappoint with his latest album which is only available digitally. Ferrer is a wonderfully poetic lyricist with a unique voice but you don’t have to speak Spanish to enjoy his traditional Cuban music rooted in acoustic instrumentation, like the Cuban tres guitar, but often accentuated by brass and piano. Download MP3 |