Afropop Worldwide TOP TEN FOR 2001 Chosen by Afropop Worldwide staff. Reviewed by afropop.org Senior Editor Banning Eyre.

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Femi Kuti, "Fight to Win" (MCA) (Nigeria) Fight to Win MCA, 2001

Femi Kuti continues to emerge from the shadow of his icon father--Fela--and to establish himself as a powerful creative force on his own. On his third international release, Femi embraces hip-hop, techno and soul, reworks Fela's conventions, assails failed African leaders, warns about AIDS, honors his family, and in all, delivers a passionate, heady blend of anger and optimism with one hell of a beat.

Gigi, "Gigi" (Palm Pictures) (Ethiopia)

Gigi's voice has both the fluttering, traditional authenticity and power of Ethiopia's most celebrated diva, Aster Aweke, and also the vibratoless pure tones and international accessibility of Afropop stars like Oumou Sangare. Under Bill Laswell's production, and with such eminent guest artists as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, David Gilmore, Henry Threadgill and Tony Cedras, Gigi's international debut is a genre-bending Afropop landmark.

Baaba Maal, "Missing You" (Palm Pictures)(Senegal)

Here's the Baaba Maal we've been missing for the past ten years! Many old time fans first knew the Senegalese superstar as an acoustic act, singing and playing guitar alongside his friend Mansour Seck, both from the northern, riverside town of Podor. Once he broke internationally, Maal's concerts and releases have mostly featured his hard-hitting electric band, Dande Lenol. But this session, beautifully recorded in Senegal gets back to the acoustic ensemble sound Maal featured on Baayo (Mango 1991).

Habib Koite, "Baro" (Putumayo) (Mali)

Koite's trademarks are all here: elegant nylon-string guitar picking, highly personal adaptations of Malian traditional music, and thoughtful, optimistic songs that celebrate the richness of Malian life and gently probe its shortcomings. High points include the Latin-tinged opener, "Batoumanbe," a sweet tale of impossible love, "Sin Djen Djen," a song of encouragement to Malian musicians, two rich guitar instrumentals, and the lively "Sambara," an intriguing, enigmatic song about shoes.

Cesaria Evora, "Sao Vincente" (Windham Hill) (Cape Verde)

This is exactly the album Cesaria Evora needed to make. Her Grammy-award-nominated 1999 release, Café Atlantico, summed up her masterful take on soulful Cape Verdean song forms--notably the melancholy morna and playful coladeira--and hinted at new ground: collaboration. Here, the 60-year old "barefoot diva" harmonizes sensationally with Brazilian superstar Caetano Veloso ("Tiempo y Silencio"), engages in romantic Portuguese call-and-response with Bonnie Raitt ("Crepescular Solidao"), and eases into an elegant Cuban mode backed by Orquesta Aragon. Virtually all of these 15 tracks benefit from a tastefully arranged string section that adds lush grandeur to Evora's folksy sound without denaturing it.

El Gran Combo, "Nuevo Milenio--Mismo Sabor" (Combo Records) (Puerto Rico)

Puerto Rico's classic salsa big band comes up with another winner that got a lot ofairplay on Latin radio in 2001. "New Millenium-The Same Flavor" sums it up as GranCombo's trademark mix of catchy tunes, soulful salseros, tight horn arrangementsand montunos that get you on the dancefloor make this a highly enjoyable record. "Me Libere" is one of our favorite tracks at Afropop headquarters. (Sean Barlow)

Peru Negro, "Sangre de Un Don" (Times Square Records) (Peru)

If Susana Baca delivers the urbane, understated side of Afro Peruvian music, Peru Negro kicks out a decidedly more hot-blooded variety. Not that Baca doesn't swing with passion, and not that this group doesn't kill you with subtlety--hanging rhythms, pregnant silences, and sparse instrumentation. It's just that Peru Negro comes across with more of the edgy urgency of village life. Call it Susana Baca on steroids.

Hakim, "The Lion Roars: Hakim Live in America" (Mondo Melodia)(Egypt)

The Egyptian pop style known as jeel--a youthful update on North Africa's venerable, street-wise shaabi music--has never been so appealingly presented as on this sensational live set by the style's hottest contemporary practitioner. Hakim has a voice to die for, and a band as tight and exhilarating as any in business. The clarity and depth of this recording gives little hint that it was made at a live concert, in Brooklyn in early 2001, as it happens. We get none of the downsides of a live session--no murkiness, glitches ,distracting crowd sounds --but all the advantages, mainly a sustained intensity that has to be heard to be believed--strong coffee from start to finish.

The Highlife All Stars, "Sankofa" (World Network) (Ghana)

International fans of West African highlife music have not had much to be happy about in recent years. Ever since Congo music edged highlife aside as the great pan-national dance music of Africa--a fait accompli by the mid 70s--Ghana and Nigeria have produced precious little of the venerable sound. Highlife came of age during the 1950s, a winning blend of recreational palmwine guitar music, and military brass band music. This welcomed project features palm line artists Kwadwo Tawiah, Kwaku Abeka & Arcobrass Brand, highlife artists Alex Konadu, Prince Osei Kofi, and others.

Cheb Mami, "Dellali" (Mondo Melodia) (Algeria)

HONORABLE MENTIONS FOR 2001