Feb 10 2008
Update: 2008 World Music Grammy Winners
Best Traditional World Music Album
- When the Soul is Settled: Music of Iraq - Rahim AlHaj with Souhail Kaspar
- From Mali to America - Cheick Hamala Diabate & Bob Carlin
- Live at Couleur Cafe - Konono No. 1
- African Spirit - Soweto Gospel Choir
- Singing for Life: Songs of Hope, Healing, and HIV/AIDS in Uganda - Various Artists
Who Will Win - Singing for Life - it's an AIDS tribute album... voting for anything else is like voting against AIDS relief. Not to say that it's not a great album, but Grammy voters notoriously vote on issues over the actual music.
Who Should Win - Live at Couleur Cafe by Konono No. 1 - this live album from the popular Congolese album is elegantly rough, and I adore it. They are to music what great scrap art assemblage artists are to visual arts... much of their instrumentation is, essentially, junk, and it's very cool.
Conspicuously Absent -Ballake Sissoko - Tomora
Best Contemporary World Music Album
- Ceu - Ceu
- Gil Luminoso - Gilberto Gil
- Momento - Bebel Gilberto
- Djin Djin - Angelique Kidjo
- An Ancient Muse - Loreena McKennitt
Who Will Win- It's a toss-up between Angelique Kidjo and Gilberto Gil. Kidjo and Gil (who, along with Ceu and Bebel Gilberto, belong in the Latin Music categories, in my humble opinion - though I love all of their music!) have both won this category before, and both carry the name recognition that often yields a win.
Who Should Win- Ceu. She put out the freshest and best album of all these nominees, without a doubt. Kidjo, who stands a good chance of winning, put out the worst - if only because it featured an unforgivably terrible duet with Josh Groban. But Ceu is a new face on the scene, so she'll have a hard time winning.
Conspicuously Absent- Tinariwen - Aman Iman; Mariza - Concerto Em Lisboa
Best Reggae Album
- The Burning Spear Experience - Burning Spear
- Mind Control - Stephen Marley
- The End of an American Dream - Lee "Scratch" Perry
- Anniversary - Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang
- Light Your Light - Toots & The Maytals
Who Will Win - Toots and the Maytals. They're legends of ska and reggae, and they've put out a fantastic album that stays true to their roots while still blazing new ground. Toots Hibbert, the bandleader, has assuredly still got it.
Who Should Win - Toots and the Maytals.
