World 2006
Rhino

As usual, the selection was partly guided by reactions from listeners to one or other of my weekly radio shows, on BBC London and the World Service. But there are quite a few tracks that are simply personal favourites, including several by artists who made guest appearances on my show during the year.

As each year goes by, I add outstanding tracks to an Excel file named for the next annual collection, and when the time comes to put it together, there are usually about 40 contenders. Making dummy sequences eliminates one or two that just don’t seem to fit for one reason or another - this year, records with heavy bass drum didn’t feel right, so nothing made it from the Balkan Beat Box album.

If a track has appeared on another world music compilation, I usually choose a different song from the same artist. The album most likely to overlap with mine is the double CD compiled by Rita Ray from all the nominated artists for the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music. Rita sometimes chooses a track that had been on my previous compilation, but I make sure I don’t include any from hers. Ian Anderson at fRoots double-checks to make sure his free CD does not double up any of my choices, but it’s impossible to avoid duplication with the Top of the World CDs that accompany each issue of Songlines. I sometimes wonder at the policy of record labels in giving away prime tracks by their high profile artists to the very customers that might otherwise be expected to buy whole albums – or compilations like this one.

For the first time we have included pictures of some album covers in the sleeve note, identifying albums we strongly recommend. There are some cases where the track chosen is the only really good one on the artist’s album, but how can you say that in a kind way?

I look forward to comments/reviews posted in the forum.

CD One:

1 - Kevin Johansen + The Nada - La Falla de San Andres - Argentina/USA
2 - Think of One - Tirar Onda - Belgium/Brazil
3 - Gipsy Kings - Rhythmic - France
4 - Free Hole Negro - Caballeros Para El Monte - Cuba
5 - Fanfare Ciocarlia - Caravan - Romania
6 - Blue Asia - Dao Ruang Dao Roi - Japan/Thailand
7 - Oki - Iutaphonic Dub - Japan
8 - Nitin Sawhney - Dead Man - UK/India
9 - K'naan - Hoobaale - Somalia/Canada
10 - Salif Keita - Yambo - Mali
11 - Kronos Quartet + Asha Bhosle - You've Stolen My Heart - India/U.S.
12 - Sara Tavares - Balancê - Portugal/Cape Verde
13 - Isaar - Azul Claro - Brazil
14 - Ulla Pirttijärvi - Gadja Nilla - Finland
15 - Sofia Blanco - Nibari - Guatemala
16 - Amira Saqati - Sabra Dima - Morocco/Switzerland
17 - Tara Fuki - Okamzik - Czech Republic

CD Two:

1 - Amadou & Mariam - Djanfa - Mali
2 - Moussu T e lei jovents - Bolega Banjo - France
3 - Ry Cooder - Muy Fifi - USA
4 - Ali Farka Toure - Penda Yoro - Mali
5 - Souad Massi - Inspiration (Ilham) - Algeria
6 - Gal Costa - Voyeur - Brazil
7 - Kekele - Tubela - Congo
8 - Ljiljana Butler - Od Kako Sam Tudia Zena - Yugoslavia
9 - Leningrad - Kto Kogo - Russia
10 - Howe Gelb - Paradise Here Abouts - USA
11 - Marta Topferova - Semana Azul - Czech Rep/USA
12 - Bogdan Loebl - Ulica Zachodzacego Slonca (Sunset Street) - Poland
13 - Aïwa - Entronic - France/Iraq
14 - Titi Robin - Amantito - France
15 - Camille - Jolie Bruine - France
16 - Cheb I Sabbah (feat Cheba Zahouania) - Esh 'Dani, Alash Mshit (Why Did I Follow Him?) -
        Algeria/USA
17 - Noor - Akhian Ni Akhian - Pakistan