Despite the pandemic, 2020 was a good year in terms of world music releases. Whether you call it world music, global music, ethno, Trad, or folk music, there was plenty of excellent material to choose from.
With so much good music, it was very hard to decide the best recordings of 2020, but jeer it is. We have broken down the list into three categories: Best World Music Albums, Best Rising Talent, and Best Global or World Fusion.
Best World Music Albums (in alphabetical order)
Afel Bocoum (Mali)
Veteran Malian musician Afel Bocoum released a superb album that continues to explore the Malian blues traditions.
Antibalas (USA)
The Afrobeat collective continues to impress with a solid release.
Brian Ó hEadhra & Fiona Mackenzie (Scotland, UK)
Mesmerizing songs from Scotland and northern Europe.
Coreyah (South Korea)
Innovative psychedelic folk act from South Korea.
Custódio Castelo (Portugal)
The master of Portuguese guitar reinterprets well-known fados.
Eliseo Parra (Spain)
Spanish folk music innovator delivers a captivating set of vocal and percussion songs.
Frigg (Finland)
Fiddle wizardry from Finland.
Harold López-Nussa (Cuba)
One of the finest Cuban pianists at this time.
Joseph Tawadros (Egypt/Australia)
Ud virtuoso with symphony orchestra. Remarkable!
José Rizo’s Mongorama (USA/Latin America)
Masterful recreation of the Mongo Santamaria Cuban sound.
Khusugtun (Republic of Tuva, Russian Federation)
Fascinating throat singing ensemble from Tuva.
La Banda Morisca (Spain)
Explorers of southern Spanish and North African sounds.
Las Áñez (Colombia)
Groundbreaking vocals, percussion and loops from Colombia.
Matthieu Saglio (France/Spain)
Cello maestro incorporates Mediterranean music, jazz and classical music.
Myrkur (Denmark)
Heavy metal musician releases delightful Danish folk album.
Orquesta Failde (Cuba)
A renovated version of one of Cuba’s best dance orchestras.
Seamus Egan (USA)
American multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan (Solas) goes beyond the Celtic realm, incorporating bluegrass, Americana and much more.
The Rheingans Sisters (Scotland, UK)
Trailblazing Scottish folk music.
Tündra (Spain)
Hurdy-gurdy and bagpipe fueled band from La Rioja dedicates this album to Spain’s depopulated rural regions.
Various Artists (USA)
A wonderful recreation of the the Golden Age of Hawaiian Song.
Best Rising Talent
Aditya Prakash (USA/India)
Fantastic Indian fusion album by young Indian American artist.
Bab L’Bluz (Morocco)
Impressive Gnawa-rooted album by female fronted Moroccan band.
Bantu (Nigeria)
Young Nigerian musicians continue Afrobeat and social conscious music traditions.
Dequenvessendo (Spain)
A new Celtic band from Galicia (norther Spain) that performs exciting contemporary Galician folk music.
Garefowl (UK)
Unconventional and deep Gaelic music from Scotland
Mariana Zwarg Sexteto Universal (Brazil)
Fantastic flute player follows the path of the great Hermeto Pascoal.
Meriem Ben Amor (Tunisia/Canada)
Transfixing combination of Tunisian and Middle eastern music with electronica.
Star Feminine Band (Benin)
Teenage girls from a town in Benin release an excellent debut album with international distribution.
Best Global Fusion
Faraón Bantú y Champetaman (Colombia)
Hybrid sounds from Caribbean coastal Colombia, combining Afro-Colombian, Caribbean and African rhythms.
John McLaughlin, Shankar Mahadevan, Zakir Hussain (India, UK)
Pioneers of world fusion deliver yet another beautiful, masterful recording.
Transglobal Underground (UK)
The British global fusion innovators are back with an outstanding album and many old friends.
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
Maravillosas Las Añez, Eliseo Parra conmvedor en su alegría y casi un Dios el ascendente Adythia Prakash..que maravillosos músicos en este mundo complicado y dificil.Gracias!!
Thank you. I am about to purchase eight of these albums, ones I found to be particularly interesting.