Best of 2007: World

by Sarah Bardeen

In the past few years, hip-hop producers sampling Bollywood has become old hat; Mexican duranguense music found a home in Chicago; and a Sri Lankan/English bad girl became the darling of indie-rock fans everywhere. (Even Avril Lavigne got in on the global act -- check out her multilingual versions of "Girlfriend"!) World music is mixing it up -- and none too soon. 2007 was a banner year for both traditional world music and all the beautiful, insurgent hybrids redefining the term -- check out our top 10 picks.

10. China Takes Gold
Cheap goods and labor aren't all China has produced this past year. As the world gears up for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, look for all things Chinese -- including music -- to get a spit shine in the new year. Who knows what musical treats the country has in store ...

9. Rough Guides Go Live on Rhapsody
It's almost embarrassing to admit that we didn't have the Rough Guides on Rhapsody until late 2007 -- but it wasn't our fault! Some labels just take time to embrace Rhapsody's signature stylistic mix as an all-you-can-eat buffet of streaming music and a store. It gets confusing. People freak out. Then they join us.

8. Reunited and It Feels So Good: Os Mutantes
Darlings of Brazilian pop and indie-rock fans alike, their 2007 tour -- with Zelia Duncan taking the place of Rita Lee -- proved these acid-addled adults can still harmonize like Vienna choirboys. The two-disc Mutantes Live captures them in all their considerable glory.

7. Vieux Farka Touré: Claiming the Throne?
Ali Farka Touré's death left a gaping hole in the world-music community. We're not saying his son Vieux could -- or should -- try to fill it, but his self-titled debut this year was full of promise. Family friend and internationally acclaimed kora player Toumani Diabaté gets an honorable mention for encouraging Vieux to pursue music even when his father refused to do so.

6. Pirates Beware: Treasure Island Music Festival
San Francisco's venerated indie festival-makers Noise Pop colonized a landfill-by-the-Bay last summer and made it the site of a two-day music extravaganza. But what set this festival apart were big-name draws and globally focused acts like M.I.A., Gotan Project, Kinky and Dengue Fever. Seeing a bunch of 20-somethings bowled over by Gotan Project's elegant tango onslaught gave me hope for humanity.

5. BBC Radio 3's World Shaker Award
We like honoring unsung heroes, and nobody's doing it better than BBC Radio 3 right now. This year, Yusuf Mahmoud and Hildegard Kiel were rewarded for their remarkable work reviving Zanzibar's traditional music scene. Thanks to Mahmoud and Kiel, local kids are now learning local music again -- and even working traditional styles like taraab into their Swahili-language hip-hop.

4. The Borat Effect
We're not saying there's a causal connection, but Borat's arrival as a cultural phenomenon seems to have coincided with a blossoming interest in gypsy and Balkan music. U.S. acts like Balkan Beat Box have been selling out from coast to coast, while in Europe, gypsy hip-hoppers Gipsy.cz are becoming bona fide stars. This underground movement may be making a move toward the mainstream.

3. We Hate to Say It, but ... Starbucks
Whether you adore pumpkin spice lattes or think the chain is sucking the soul from American café culture, we have to give props to Starbucks' Hear Music program. Starbucks selected young Brazilian chanteuse CéU to be just the fourth musician -- and the first international one -- in the program. The singer's CD was in every café in the country, and a lot of folks broke their English-language music barrier for the first time because of it.

2. The Launch of Cumbancha Records
World-music heavyweight Putumayo lost its A&R head Jacob Edgar in 2006, and just a year later, his new label Cumbancha was cleaning up at Womex and the BBC Radio 3 Awards with numerous nominations. One listen to their short list of 2007 releases will convince you these guys know music: newcomer Dobet Gnahore charmed us; Habib Koite (finally) returned in amazing form; and Andy Palacio's Wátina topped many critics' lists as the best world release of 2007. We expect more sonic heat from this label in 2008.

1. The Return of Manu Chao
Manu Chao has become the polyglot posterchild for people who want their global revolution served up with  a side of dance. Released to universal acclaim and, okay, more than a little hyperbole, Chao's eagerly awaited third solo album continued his tradition of combining sonic pastiche with a social conscience. Also, it was just plain good.

Further Listening:
Rhapsody's Year in World Playlist