Selcted by Sean Barlow, producer of Afropop Worldwide and Afropop.org. Review excerpts by Banning Eyre except where marked.

Note: This is a "baker's top ten". You get one extra this year. Also, some of these releases came out earlier elsewhere. We generally go by U.S. release years. You can order these titles through Afropop.org's "Online Shopping Service" (lower right on homepage) or through Calabash Music's service (also on available through our homepage). A portion of that purchase goes to supporting Afropop.org.

Salif Keita, Moffou (Universal) (Mali)
Moffou is very close to a perfect record: understated, varied, and imbued with all the delicious complexities of this brilliant, inscrutable African maverick. On this album, he is free to delve into that soft, vulnerable side of his musical persona, never losing that sense of personal power that makes his so voice so complex and so satisfying. This sets a new standard in the current trend of West African acoustic albums.

Mariza, Fado em Mimâ (Times Square Records)(Portugal)
Mariza's debut release is a tour de force, graced with one of the most exciting new voices in world music in recent years. From the opening, "Lourcura," a song about blessed madness, stately, plucked string backing rich with harmonic dissonances create the setting for Mariza's explosive vocals. This is a voice of supreme power and expressiveness, promising a bright future within the fado genre and beyond.

Angelique Kidjo, Black Ivory Soul (Columbia)(Benin)
In her most significant work since Logozo, Kidjo continues her exploration of the African Diaspora with a musical sojourn in Brazil. Co-writing songs with Brazilian composers--maverick bandleader Carlinos Brown and neo-bossa guitarist Vinicius Cantuaria--and even covering the great tropicalista Gilberto Gil, Kidjo comes up with a powerhouse of an album. It opens with uncharacteristic understatement on the soft, soulful "Bahia." This is Kidjo's best work to date, a fine affirmation for an artist who has stayed the course, bucked the trends, and come out exactly where she belongs: on top.

Wendo Kolosy, Amba (Marabi)(Congo)
Amba captures the magic of the 1950's Kinshasa, when Congolese rumba was fresh and new, but now, the music comes across in crisp, digital clarity. The band's deep swing and seet vocal harmonies surround Wendo's classic yodeling and crooning with loving perfection. This music exudes character and style that leaves the current crop of Congo pop stars in the dust.

Orchestra Baobab, Specialist in all Styles (World Circuit/Nonesuch)(Senegal)
The Afropop classics revival trend continues with this landmark recording by the kings of African salsa, 10-piece Orchestra Baobab, with their first studio recording in fourteen years. Every aspect of this band remains strong, from Issa Cissokho's blustery, yearning tenor sax solos, to Barthelemy Attisso's adventurous, spunky guitar work full of jazzy chromaticism, to one of the most appealing lineups of lead singers in any band anywhere. On the sultry "Hommage à Tonton Ferrer" (an adaptation of the song "Utra Horas"), vocal improvisations by Baobab singers led by Rudy Gomis are joined by guests Youssou N'Dour and, the honoree, Ibrahim Ferrer of the Buena Vista Social Club.

Tinarowen, The Radio Tisdas Sessions (World Village)
An amazing discovery, this free-flowing band of nomadic Tuaregs, blend guitars, percussion, and male and female vocals in entrancing symphony. The seduction of the desert is palpable on everyone of these hypnotic tracks. At last, new music to fill out our view of Northern Mali, introduced to the world by the groun-breaking work of Ali Farka Toure.

Various, Red, Hot, + Riot (MCA) (International)
The latest cornucopia of music and ideas from the Red Hot Organization is a zinger... The complex legacy of Fela Kuti provides particularly rich ground for a musical meditation on AIDS. There are strong elements of rap and hip-hop in many of these tracks, and the engaged, edgy, American voices of Talib Kweli, dead prez, Common and others seem completely of a piece. In all, a powerful, worldly musical summit with an eye not only to mourning the tragedy of AIDS, but fighting it.

Bembeya Jazz, Bembeya (Marabi)(Guinea)
The grand, big band, Manding sound of Guinea takes flight again, after a long fourteen years. This new recording of classic songs was made in France in 2002 and is gradually being released to the world, putting these soul survivors back on the map. The Bembey juggernaut is still in shape: three horns, three guitars, three soaring voices, and a rythm section that conquered Africa once already and sounds ready to do it all over again.

Chico Cesar, Respieto Meus Cabellos, Brancos (MCA)(Brazil)
A wonderfully varied new collection of songs ranging from MPB to northeastern roots-based material to reggae. Cesar's lyrics poke fun at contemporary life in Brazil and at serious ongoing issues like the title track that translates "Respect My Hair, White People". But's there's also the occasional love song like the one that's all the rage on one of the famous Brazilian telenovelas. Released in Brazil but not yet in the US. -SB

Cesar Pedroso, Pupy y los que son, son (Timba)(Cuba)
Cesar Pedroso a.k.a. "Pupy" left Cuba's most popular dance band, Los Van Van, as this is his first solo release. The Cuban public is very demanding and this album shows off Pup's crowd-pleasing songwriting chops honed over the years in the Van Van spotlight. Pupy has put together a tight, classy new band. For fans of timba dance music, this is a must. - SB

Ephat Mujuru, Journey of the Spirit (Alula)(Zimbabwe)
This is one of the richest-sounding mbira recordings ever made, with a wide stereo spread so you can clearly hear mbira virtuoso Ephat Mujur's weave of mbira lines. Ephat's soft, soulful singing is mostly in Shona but his "Africa Meet Africa" and "Peace" compositions in English are gems too. Afropop's Banning Eyre adds lovely acoustic guitar on two songs. Ephat dies tragically before this came out. He left us with this mesmerizing masterwork. - SB