Mondays mp3: Grammy Grammy Grammy

Blizzard conditions in the Cascade Mountains. A landslide of support for Barak Obama in the Washington State Democratic caucuses. So why is it no powerful natural force comes to mind when I think about the Grammy Awards? They happened. Yawn.

The Grammies that SoundRoots readers might be most interested in include:

• Best Traditional World Music Album: African Spirit by Soweto Gospel Choir
• Best Contemporary World Music Album: Djin Djin by Angelique Kidjo
• Best Latin Urban Album: Residente O Visitante by Calle 13
• Best Hawaiian Album: Treasures Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar by various artists
• Best Reggae Album: Mind Control by Stephen Marley

If you want to know about the pop and polka and other categories, see the complete list of winners.

Not among the Grammy winners, but among my own group of musical winners, is the Touareg group Toumast. They haven't got the stature of Tinariwen, but they do have a song that I'm considering an appropriate greeting for the Lunar New Year.

[mp3] Toumast: Maraou Oran (For Twelve Moons)
from the album Ishumar

Happy year of the Rat!