The annual job of cutting down my longlist to a final Top Ten has been the easiest yet thanks to the quality of those ten selections that made them stand out. So, in alphabetical order, here are my KLOF Top 10 Albums of the Year.
Click on the title to read the original review.
Aboubakar Traoré & Balima – Sababu
With a narrative that is steeped in Burkina Faso’s history and West African pride, for their second album, the kamele ngoni master and vocalist Aboubakar Traoré and his transnational group Balima have taken the former’s original compositions and arranged them collectively to produce a sound awash with pan-African rhythms, hints of jazz and reggae, western electric guitar and memorable melodies, in songs which tell universal stories of love, migration and resilience. In so doing, the envelope of West African music is well and truly being expanded.
África Negra – Antologia Vol. 2
Another offering from the groundbreaking Swiss label, Bongo Joe Records, highlighting the music of São Tomé and Príncipe, and a compilation from one of the island nation’s most revered bands, África Negra, who make my list for the second time. Pulsating, high-energy dance floor music based around the intense pace of the traditional puxa rhythms, mixed with both Angolan semba, merengue and exhilarating Congolese soukous, this is another invaluable collection from one of World Music’s most important bands.
Aziza Brahim – Mawja
Being born in a refugee camp has, understandably, left an indelible mark on the life of the Sahrawi songwriter, musician and activist Aziza Brahim. A defining element of her work remains a reflection of the ongoing struggle of Western Sahara, and this album fuses haul, the traditional rhythmic roots of her Saharawi culture with elements of Cuban (she studied briefly there) and Spanish, she has been living there in exile since 2000, music. In addition to her imperious voice, percussion sounds from around the world make for a fascinating listening experience, one which Aziza describes as “desert punk!”
Blair Dunlop – Out Of The Rain
I get the feeling that this excellent album is deeply imbued with transatlantic sonic influences and thus will extend Blair’s audience to include those within the Americana world. There’s a glorious irony in this, given that the album is co-produced by stalwart of the folk scene, Jim Moray. With songwriting and musicianship of the highest calibre, the expansive, wide-screen sound underlines Blair’s growing stature as one of the country’s most impressive contemporary musical artists, regardless of genre-labelling.
Danny & The Champions Of The World – You Are Not A Stranger Here
As a preparation for the recording of this album, Danny George Wilson, one of music’s truly amiable good guys, sent fellow band members as eclectic a collection of pre-listening music as you could imagine. As a result, for the most part, You Are Not A Stranger presents as a volta-face to previous work, with Prefab Sprout’s ‘I Trawl The Megahertz‘ a key influence to these ears. That is not to say that the band have thrown out the baby with the bathwater; the track ‘Sooner Or Later’, which I first heard being played as an extended encore in A Coruña on their Spanish tour last year, is in the classic Champs mould. An album of intensely complex depth yet innate listenability, if there is any justice in the world, this magnificent album would immediately propel Danny & The Champions of the World to global heights of stratospheric proportions.
Dogo du Togo & the Alagaa Beat Band – Avoudé
With Avoudé, Togolese singer and guitarist Dogo du Togo, together with his new Lomé-based Alagaa Band, has produced an album that succeeds in presenting a sound that is demonstrably Togolese whilst also speaking to his dream of creating a new form of hard-hitting psychedelic Afro-rock music, which he terms the alagaa beat. Whilst respectful of the culture, history and tradition of Togo, the music incorporates Togolese bobobo, kamou and kpanlogo rhythms and melodies based on voodoo music; modern sounds and techniques augment these alongside an ebullient horn section, retro-synths and electric violin. It’s modern psychedelia of the highest order.
Newen Afrobeat – Grietas
Chilean Afrobeat is indeed a thing, and there are no better proponents than Newen Afrobeat. Their fifth album, Greitas features all-original compositions that again display an open-minded and transformative approach to the Afrobeat genre. The album combines driving beats, funk soul guitars and horns, thunderous basslines, and moments of celestial vocal magic with lyrics that often address socio-political themes, particularly climate issues, better education, and justice. Greitas is an electric album replete with compelling, rhythmically irresistible music.
Various Artists – Congo Funk! – Sound Madness From The Shores Of The Mighty Congo River
An epic collection of Congolese music from the Analog Africa label. 14 tracks featuring a wide range of important artists and bands, labels and producers, all of whom were instrumental in elevating the already feverish sounds of rumba to new peaks, including a genre termed soukous. This new high-speed rumba sound was marked by funk and psychedelia elements, partly due to the increased use of electric guitars and reverb, and often incorporated aspects of cavachabeat and sebene. Prepare to be electrified by the essence and spirit of Congolese music.
Ghana Special 2: Electronic Highlife & Afro Sounds In The Diaspora, 1980-93
As a genre, Burger Highlife was born in the emerging Ghanaian diaspora in Germany, taking its name from the German word for citizen. Traditional highlife boundaries were torn asunder as experimentation became a key modus operandi in an attempt to draw in European audiences. The 18 tracks offered here, taken from Ghanaian artists from around the world, focus on the various mutations to the style that occurred during the 80s and 90s. Count on the electronic sounds of drum machines and synths, wild electric guitars. Funky horns, reggae-infused offerings, and Caribbean zouk and soca take you on an unforgettable journey.
Various Artists – Merengue Tipico: Nueva Generacion!
A sparkling compilation of music from the Dominican Republic, featuring original vinyl 45s from the golden age of merengue, the 1960s and 1970s. A development of the original, accordion-based, merengue, merengue típico (as the album’s title suggests), a later new-wave form of this music emerged, characterised by a faster, more frenetic tempo. Each of the album’s ten tracks, from some of the lesser-known proponents of the style, which only adds to the interest, is a gem. While some tracks may sound less than high-fidelity, they nevertheless revel in the energy and enthusiasm of the playing and performance.
More end of year lists can be found here (more to come)