Top 10 African CDs of 2007

Konono No. 1 is definitely not music for die-hard traditionalists. It is basically Congolese trance-grunge-punk, played with mbiras (thumb pianos), garbage can lids, and whatever else the band members can get their hands on and turn into instruments. This live album may not be the strongest work they've ever released, musically, it wins heaps of bonus points for atmosphere - as you listen, you can practically see the Couleur Cafe, packed to the brim with sweaty, gyrating youth, dancing their troubles away until the sun comes up.

The Soweto Gospel Choir had their fifth anniversary in 2007, and in that short time, they've established themselves as one of the most prominent South African musical groups, touring relentlessly and releasing three magnificent albums, one of which one them a 2007 Grammy Award. At first listen, their sound is more like American gospel and less like African music, but if you step back for a moment, you'll remember that American gospel's greatest musical influence is African music, and the Soweto Gospel Choir illuminates this distinctly. This CD blends that solid and deeply reverential gospel sound with praiseworthy African twists, both rhythmic and melodic.

Bassekou Kouyate is probably the least well-known artist on this list. He plays the ngoni (a West African stringed instrument) and has worked as a side-man for such legends as Ali Farka Toure. This album is wonderfully sophisticated, and carefully blends traditional West African music with definitive modern Malian pop music. The CD is elegant but hip, and though it remains somewhat obscure, it is an excellent first step on the road to international fame for this group.

This is the third international release by South African guitar player and songwriter Vusi Mahlasela, and it is, in a word, epic. Though collaborations (with folks such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Dave Matthews) are a feature of the album, it definitely doesn't have that "duet" feel that so many albums do - it's decidedly Vusi Mahlasela. At times raucous, and at times quiet and pensive, the album is an instant classic and a very necessary addition to a well-rounded world music collection.

Though this is the second release by the Ivory Coast-born Dobet Gnahore, I confess that it's the first that I've heard, and I am enchanted. Musically, Gnahore is carrying on in the tradition of Zap Mama (that is, back when Zap Mama was actually a band, and not just a glorified solo effort from Marie Daulne) - African music with a modern European flair. Gnahore's voice lacks Daulne's smooth sultriness, though; it's grittier and bluesier, adding an earthiness to her cross-continental pop songs.

This eponymous debut CD from Ali Farka Toure's son worried me a little bit before I heard it. No one had ever heard of Vieux Farka until after the death of his father in early 2007, and I thought that maybe it was because he simply wasn't as talented as his dad. Then I listened to this CD. Though Vieux doesn't have the intensity that his father had, I think it's simply because he's so young and isn't yet world-weary. His raw talent is palpable, and his songwriting is excellent. His style, though rooted in the same Malian blues tradition as Ali Farka's, is distinctly his own - a little bit more modern, a little bit flashier. If Vieux Farka Toure sounds like this now (he's only 26), he is destined to become a legend in his own right.

Nawal is a rare find, in many ways. First of all, she comes from the Comoros Islands, a small island chain that sits between Africa and Madagascar that has, historically, mostly kept its music to itself. Secondly, she's a woman. Okay, so women aren't technically rare, but women who perform traditional Sufi music from the Comoros Islands certainly are - it's considered somewhat scandalous for women to perform music at all in that tiny corner of the world, and borderline taboo for them to perform religious music. But Nawal is a trailblazer, and her bravery has given us one of the most enchanting CDs we've heard in a long time. Quiet, contemplative, even a bit jazzy, Nawal crosses many boundaries, both musical and social.

Zimbabwe's Oliver Mtukudzi, or "Tuku" to his fans, is a superstar both within Africa (particularly in his home country) and around the world. This is his forty-somethingth album (who can keep count after 25 or so?) and amazingly, one of his best. It's hard to imagine keeping up that level of inspiration and innovativeness over a 30-year career, but Tuku does it. Tsimba Itsoka is sort of a concept album, with the title translating to "No Foot, No Footprint" and each song focusing on that theme - the idea that we all leave footprints, either physical or metaphorical, whether we are standing still or in motion. It's lofty, yes, but it works tremendously well.

It was a six-year wait between Malian superstar Habib Koite's last album, Baro, and this one. For most artists, that's enough time for everyone to forget that they exist, but not in this case - fans around the world were waiting with bated breath to see if Afriki was what they hoped it would be. Thankfully, Koite delivered, and the CD is quite masterful. It's poppy, sexy and danceable, though the instrumentation is all acoustic, making for an appealing blend of old and new.

Aman Iman might be the album I listened to most in 2007. The wailing vocals and guitars of Tinariwen's intense Saharan blues just seem to appeal to me so often - I really just can't get enough. Artists like Angelique Kidjo break free of the boundaries of world music by appealing to a huge cross-section of people by making themselves sound like Western pop. Tinariwen takes the opposite tack. Though a lot of their sound is rooted in American blues, they truly don't sound like anything you've ever heard before... sort of like what I imagine rock and roll must have sounded like when people first heard it - totally wild and untamed, and yet magnetically appealing. At any rate, Aman Iman is their best album yet.