World Music Central's Best World Music Releases of 2009

The editors at World Music Central, its Spanish language portal Músicas del Mundo and other friends, present their lists of Best World Music Recordings of 2009. 

TJ Nelson (World Music Central)

• Abbas Premjee - Elements (Fire Records) 
• Tinariwen - Imidiwan: Companions (World Village)
• Khaled - Liberté (Wrasse Records)
• Soname - Plateau (World Village)
• Charley Patton and Various Artists - The Definitive Charley Patton (Proper Records)
• Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara - Tell No Lies (Real World Records)
• Mamer - Eagle (Real World Records)
• Various Artists - Nagore Sessions (Earth Sync)
• Vieux Farka Touré - Fondo (Six Degrees)
• Sari Gelin Ensemble - Music from Azerbaijan (Arc)

Patricia Herlevi (World Music Central  / Whole Music Experience blog)

• Toto La Momposina - La Bodega (Astar)
• Doug Cox and Salil Bhatt - Slide to Freedom 2: Make A Better World (Northern Blues)
• Cheevers, Toppah & Landry - Rain in July (Canyon Records)
• Oreka TX - Nomadak Tx (World Village)
• Uxia - Eterno Navegar (World Village)
• Nancy Vieira - Lus (World Village)
• Marta Topferova - Trova (World Village)
• Chango Spasiuk - Pynandi: Los Descalzos (World Village)
• Cesaria Evora - Nha Sentimento (Lusafrica)
• Marina Rossell - Gran Teatro del Liceu de Barcelona (World Village)

Honorable mentions to: Songs Around The World CD/DVD by Playing for Change  (Concord Music Group/Starbucks) and Mario Adnet and Philippe Baden Powell - AfroSambaJazz: The Music of Baden Powell (Adventure Music). World Village came out as top label for The Whole Music Experience in 2009, followed by Adventure Music and ECM New Series.

Tom Orr (World Music Central)

My list (which is in no particular order) includes dub reggae by an artist who's neither Jamaican nor Rasta, Afrobeat fused and not fused, blues and rock-tinged music of Saharan origin and other stuff that no words of mine can begin to adequately describe. I urge you to seek out, listen and enjoy.

• Oumou Sangare - Seya (World Circuit)
• Solomon Jabby - Firmly Planted in Dub (Lion of Zion)
• Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara - Tell No Lies (Real World Records)
• Tinariwen - Imidiwan: Companions (World Village)
• Soothsayers Meet the Red Earth Collective - One More Reason (Red Earth Music)
• Tony Allen - Secret Agent (World Circuit)
• Samba Toure - Songhai Blues: Homage to Ali Farka Toure (World Music Network)
• Novalima - Coba Coba (Cumbancha)
• Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca - Retrospectiva (Mopiato Music)
• Occidental Brothers Dance Band International - Odo Sanbra (Occidental Brothers)

Rafael Mieses (Músicas del Mundo)

•  Andy Narell & The Relator  - University of Calypso (Heads Up)
•  Marta Gómez - Musiquita (Aluna, 2009)
•  Dunkelbunt - Raindrops and Elephants(Piranha, 2009)
•  The Idan Raichel Project - Within My Walls (Cumbancha, 2009)
•  Céu - Vagarosa (Six Degrees, 2009)
•  Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Syndicate - 75 (Heads Up, 2009)
•  Allen Toussaint - The Bright Mississippi (Nonesuch,2009)
•  Magos Herrera - Distancia (Sunnyside, 2009)
•  Jovino Santos Neto & Weber Iago - Live at Caramoor (Adventure Music, 2009)
•  Mike Stern - Big Neighborhood (Heads Up, 2009)

Jason Ferguson (World Music Central )

• Various Artists - Open Strings: 1920s Middle Eastern Recordings - New Responses
• Kush Arora - The Dread Bass Chronicles
• Najma Aktar & Gary Lucas - Rishte
• BLK JKS - After Robots
• Various Artists: Shadow Music of Thailand
• Debashish Bhattacharya - O Shakuntala!
• Niraj Chag - The Lost Souls
• Various Artists - Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds and Ghanaian Blue 1968-1981
• Huun Huur Tu with Carmen Rizzo - Eternal
• The Heliocentrics+Mulatu Astatke - Inspiration Information, Vol. 3

 Angel Romero (World Music Central / Músicas del Mundo)

• Oumou Sangare - Seya (World Circuit)
• Mamer - Eagle (Real World)
• Warsaw Village Band - Infinity (Barbes Records)
• Tinariwen - Imidiwan: Companions (World Village)
• Abbas Premjee - Elements (Fire Records)
• JJ Band - Bulerias Africanas (Gaztelupeko)
• Brownout - Aguilas and Cobras (Six Degrees)
• Khaled - Liberté (Wrasse Records)
• Omar Faruk Tekbilek - Rare Elements - Omar Faruk Tekbilek (5 Points Records)
• La Banda del Pepo - Tanto por Hacer (Galileo/Nufolk)