The result of the fRoots 2009 critics' poll is that Staff Benda Bilili's Très Très Fort (Crammed) is the folk/roots/world album of the year. That make it an album I have to acquire.
In both the Best Re-issue/Compilation and Best Packaged Album categories, the vote went unsurprisingly and bhy some distance to the important and gloriously presented Topic Records 70th Anniversary set Three Score Years And Ten.
Where did Salut! Live's votes go?
Well, the result of my changed status - no longer writing for The Daily Telegraph and living abroad - means that many fewer review albums come my way. Frtom those that have, I chose the folliowing as my six albums of the year (I list them alphabetically and will return to this subject with my own winners at a later date:
Debra Cowan/Fond Desire Farewell (Falling Mountain Music)
Cara Dillon/Hill of Thieves/Charcoal Records
Ruth Notman/The Life of Lilly/Mrs Casey RecordsShow of Hands/Arrogance, Ignorance, and Greed/Hands on Music
Martin Simpson/True Stories/Topic
The Unthanks/ Here's The Tender Coming/EMI
REISSUE/ HISTORIC/ COMPILATIONS (no order)
Various/ Topic Records Three Score and Ten/ (Topic)
Shirley Collins/False True Lovers/ (Fledg'ling)Louis Killen/Ballads and Broadsides/ (Topic)
BEST PACKAGED ALBUM (no order)
Various/Topic Records Three Score and Ten/ (Topic)
Show of Hands/Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed/ (Hands on Music)
The full list of the top 20 albums of 2009 is:
1 Staff Benda Bilili: Très Très Fort (Crammed)
2 Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: I Speak Fula (OutHere)
3 Oumou Sangare: Seya (World Circuit)
4 Martin Simpson: True Stories (Topic)
5 The Unthanks: Here’s The Tender Coming (EMI/Rabble Rouser)
6 Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara: Tell No Lies (Real World)
7 Tinariwen: Imidiwan (Independiente)
8 Jackie Oates: Hyperboreans (Unearthed/One Little Indian)
9 Khaled: Liberté (Wrasse)
10 Spiro Lightbox (Real World)
11 Jon Boden: Songs From The Floodplain (Navigator)
Mohamed Ilyas Taarab (Chiku-Taku)
13 Baaba Maal: Television (Palm Pictures)
14 Les Triaboliques: Rivermudtwilight (World Village)
15 Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics: Inspiration Information (Strut)
16 Tony Allen: Secret Agent (World Circuit)
Ceu Vagarosa: (Six Degrees)
18 Mamer Eagle (Real World)
Mawkin Causley: The Awkward Recruit (Navigator)
Loudon Wainwright III: High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project (Proper/2nd Story Sound)
The runners up, listed alphabetically rather than in order of votes cast, is:
Mayra Andrade Storia Storia (Stern’s); Blue Asia Sketches Of Myahk (Vivid Sound); Anouar Brahem The Astounding Eyes Of Rita (ECM); Brass Monkey Head Of Steam (Topic); Guy Clark Somedays The Song Writes You (Dualtone); Bob Dylan Together Through Life (Columbia); Tim Eriksen Northern Roots Live In Namest (Indies Scope); Julie Fowlis Uam (Shoeshine); Bella Hardy In The Shadow Of The Mountains (Noe); Lau Arc Light (Navigator); Radio Kijada Nuevos Sonidos Afro Peruanos, Part 1 (Wrasse); Alasdair Roberts Spoils (Drag City); Show Of Hands Arrogance, Ignorance And Greed (Hands On Music); Speed Caravan Kalashnik Love (Real World); Devon Sproule I Don’t Hurry For Heaven! (Tin Angel); Vieux Farka Touré Fondo (Six Degrees); Nancy Wallace Old Stories (Midwich); Jah Wobble Chinese Dub (30 Hertz).
The top 10 in the Reissue/Compilation Of The Year section is:
1 Various: Three Score & Ten: A Voice To The People (Stern’s)
2 Franco & Le TPOK: Jazz Francophonic Vol. 2 (Stern’s)
3 Various: Panama! 2 (Soundway)
4 Various: Legends Of Benin (Analog Africa)
5 Chris Wood: Albion (RUF)
6 Woody Guthrie: My Dusty Road (Rounder)
7 Peter Bellamy: Both Sides Then (Topic)
8=Richard Thompson: Walking On A Wire (Shout Factory)
Various: Ghana Special (Soundway)
10 Various: Tumbélé! Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds From The French Caribbean 1963-74 (Soundway)
11 Scan Tester: I Never Played To Many Posh Dances (Topic)
12 Mulatu Astatke: New York – Addis –London: The Story Of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975 (Strut)
Dr Strangely Strange: Kip Of The Serenes (Hux)
Edward II: Definitive Collection (E2)
Davy Graham: A Scholar And A Gentleman (Decca)
Cheb Khaled: Rebel Of Rai (The Early Years) (Nascente)
Various Zanzibara 5: Hot In Dar 1978- 1983 (Buda)
Runners Up (alphabetically): Alistair Anderson Steel Skies (Topic); Goran Bregovic Welcome To Goran Bregovic (Wrasse); Tim Buckley Live At The Folklore Centre, NYC – March 6th 1967 (Tompkins Square); Jesse Fuller Move On Down The Line (Fledg’ling); Incredible String Band Tricks Of The Senses (Hux); Keletigui Et Ses Tambourinis The Syliphone Years (Stern’s); Louis Killen Ballads (Topic); Kandia Kouyate Ngara (Syllart); Ewan MacColl Ballads (Topic); Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou Echoes Hypnotiques Vol 2 (Analog Africa); Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou The Vodoun Effect (Analog Africa); The Rail Band Belle Epoque 3 – Dioba (Stern’s); Le Ry-co Jazz Bon Voyage!! (RetroAfric); Andre Maria Tala Bend Skin Beats (Retro Afric); Various Comfusoes 1: From Angola To Brasil (OutHere); Various Otro Mundo (Warner); Various Panama! 3 (Soundway); Various Theme Time Radio Hour With Your Host Bob Dylan, Season 2 (Ace); Värttinä 25 (Westpark Music).
Best packaged albums:
1 Various: Three Score & Ten: A Voice To The People (Topic)
2 Woody Guthrie: My Dusty Road (Rounder)
3 Franco & Le TPOK: Jazz Francophonic Vol. 2 (Stern’s)
4 Jon Boden: Songs From The Floodplain (Navigator)
Various: Ghana Special (Soundway)
Various: Legends Of Benin (Analog Africa)
Runners Up (alphabetically): Keletigui Et Ses Tambourinis The Syliphone Years (Stern’s); Ojos De Brujo Aocana (Deluxe Edition) (Warner Music Spain); Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou The Vodoun Effect (Analog Africa); Staff Benda Bilili Très Très Fort (Crammed); Various Onder De Groene Linde (Music & Words); Various Take Me To The Water: Immersion Baptism In Vintage Music & Photography 1890-1950 (Dust-To-Digital); Various Theme Time Radio Hour With Your Host Bob Dylan, Season 2 (Ace); Various Tumbélé! Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds From The French Caribbean 1963-74 (Soundway); Loudon Wainwright III High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project (Proper/2nd Story Sound).
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