Top 10 World Music Albums, May 2009

There's some wonderful new stuff on this month's chart, including Staff Benda Bilili (read their amazing story), the latest from Zap Mama, and a powerful, mature release from Maori group Moana & the Tribe. Alongside the newcomers are albums still spinning strong from last month.

There are the collaborations: Bela Fleck's musical tour of Africa, Oreka TX's txalaparta wanderings, and India-meets-America on Slide to Freedom. Add in great albums by Poland's Warsaw Village Band, Russia's La Minor, Mali's Amadou & Mariam, and Israel's Idan Raichel Project, and you've got perhaps the strongest Top 10 list we've posted all year.

SoundRoots / Spin The Globe Top 10 World Music Albums
May 2009
(click on album title for sound samples and more info)

1. Bela Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart
2. Staff Benda Bilili: Tres Tres Fort
3. Oreka TX: Nömadak Tx
4. Warsaw Village Band: Infinity
5. Zap Mama: ReCreation
6. Moana & the Tribe: Wha
7. Doug Cox & Salil Bhatt: Slide To Freedom 2-Make a Better World
8. La Minor: Oboroty
9. Amadou & Mariam: Welcome to Mali
10. Idan Raichel Project: Within My Walls

By the way, Idan Raichel was featured recently on National Public Radio in the USA. You can listen at npr.org. For that matter, NPR also did a story on Staff Benda Bilili.