What does it say when the most innovative, ground breaking record of 1999 is a fusion of early century American blues and folk with West African string music that's centuries older than that? Put another way, what took so long for someone to do what Taj Mahal and Toumani Diabaté have done here? The easy, unforced aura that pervades these twelve tracks testifies to the fundamental strength of the idea, from the Africanized field holler of "O' Georgie Buck," to the kora and ngoni riddled blues of "Take This Hammer," to the primordial jazz, balafon and piano stomp of "Fanta," and supremely folky takes on ancient Manding griot music in "Tunkaranke" and "Kaira." A lot of the music on this year's top 10 looks to the past, but Kulanjan
offers something heavier than nostalgia for colonial Cuba and Cape Verde. This is a window into the very DNA of our own folk, blues, and rock `n' roll.

Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org