It's been awhile since we've checked in on some of the other world music blogs on the interwebs, so it's high time we caught up with some of my favorite sites.

Over at DubMC.com, where the business side of world music is the name of the game, blogger Dmitri Vietze has a few Q&As with influential performing arts programmers Neal Copperman, Jordan Peimer, and Tom Frouge, asking them about their favorite sights and sounds at this fall's WOMEX convention in Copenhagen. Curious as to what sort of multicultural programming you're likely to see in the coming year at your favorite local world music venue? Check out their favorite picks -- those guys are real tastemakers!

At World Music Central, a mystery blogger known only as Pascale158 gives us a quick rundown of the career of African diva Dobet Gnahore, which concludes with a little bit of what seems to be insider information: we'll be seeing a new Gnahore CD in early 2010. I find this tremendously exciting, as Dobet Gnahore, who I'd liked since I heard her 2007 release Na Afriki, but went crazy for once I saw her in real life at the 2009 Festival International de Louisiane (I have the pictures to prove it), and I can't wait to hear what she comes up with next.

Over at Spinner.com, Steve Hochman talks with another African diva, the formidable Angelique Kidjo, who also has a new record coming out in early 2010. Hochman snagged himself a way-in-advance preview of that record, and even has a clip from one of the songs available so you can listen, too! Sounds good to me... I can't wait to hear the whole thing!

Feel free to leave a comment and share links to anything great you've read about world music lately!

I'm in a mood. See, I found myself in a social situation with people I'd just met, and the topic of work came up. I was asked what I do for a living, and I explained that, among some other consulting and freelance work, I write a website about world music. One woman started laughing. "I'm sorry," she explained, "you just don't seem like 'the type.'" I calmly explained that yes, I write about world music, and yes, many different people listen to world music, and invited her to poke around my site sometime. Secretly, though, I wanted to just ask her where her prejudiced ideas came from, and why I look like I couldn't possibly listen to world music. Was it my high-heeled shoes, or the fact that I have (let's face it) obvious highlights, not dreadlocks, or was it just that I didn't have a djembe strapped to my back? Since when does world music -- the umbrella definition for the genres of music that most people in the world listen to -- have a "type" of listener? The only near-absolute constant that I know of about world music listeners in the Western world is that we revel in diversity and multiculturalism. But how can you tell that about a person just by their clothes?

This isn't the first time I've gotten annoyed about this very subject, though. In fact, one of the first pieces I wrote when I came to work here at About.com was a little ditty called "Top 10 World Music Myths." It's been revised and updated a few times since, but the gist is the same -- world music isn't any one thing, and the people who listen to it aren't, either -- and now I'm inviting you to jump right in and vent, as well! Tell us what world music myths drive you crazy! Let it all out -- many of us are in the same boat!

Once upon a time, in my not-so-far-away youth, a magical thing would happen on Thanksgiving night. Induced into a 12-hour coma by massive consumption of fat and carbohydrates, the whole world would drift off to sleep, and when we woke up, the magical Christmas elves had appeared and every shop window and light pole in town was adorned with a wreath or twinkly lights or even a Christmas tree. Jolly Christmas carols would pour out of doorways, and shopping would gaily begin.

Nowadays, the Christmas season seems to start on Labor Day, giving us all a hefty four months to get tired of Santa's big dumb face and peppermint sticks, and hearing exactly 4,500 versions too many of the godforsaken "Little Drummer Boy." Now, I'm a notorious Scrooge, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but the whole watering-down of the holiday is part of why I've grown to detest it so much. Also, it coincides with terrible snowy winter, which I also hate.

So what's my solution to the madness? Well, I've tried beating 'em, and it doesn't work, so I'm just going to join 'em. Joy to the world, or whatever. Seriously, though, if we must begin celebrating the holiday four months early, we may as well demand better (or at least more interesting) music to go along with the occasion. Why torture ourselves with "Jingle Bell Rock" and any number of permutations of "Fa-la-la-la-la" when we could be listening to music that's actually great, and just happens to be holiday-themed? Thus, my friends, I present you with my favorite world music Christmas CDs and a hefty list of more specific Celtic music Christmas CDs to get you started. Now is definitely the time to stock up -- think of it as "good taste ammunition" which you can use to ward off the old standard-fare boredom as soon as you get the chance.

Got any favorite world music Christmas CDs? Leave a comment and let us know what they are! And feel free to be Grinchy -- if you'd rather share your least favorite Christmas music, go ahead and post that, too. You're in good company around here!

Very sad news is just starting to come in from Mali: Wassoulou diva Ramata Diakite has passed away after a long illness. MaliWeb is carrying the story (in French), and they state that she passed on October 30, sadly only five weeks after marrying her new husband. The article lists her as being 35 years old, but other sources say she was born in 1976... in either case, entirely too young.

Known as one of the Wassoulou region's most talented singers, and the best-known, second only to reigning queen Oumou Sangare, Ramata (sometimes called Ramatou) Diakite was a strong ambassador for her culture. I was fortunate enough to see her once, and I (along with the rest of the crowd, which included country singer Patty Loveless, who had played earlier on the same festival stage) was captivated, and I've been looking forward to seeing her again ever since.

Update: Diakite's friend and manager Erich Ludwig has further information and touching remembrances at his personal blog.

Watch Diakite's "Leroule" Music Video on YouTube.