The Categories Explained
Eligible in the Best Artist category are single artists who work with - or without - a band. Artists must be living, so sadly no Saban Bajramovic or Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Re-issued albums are not eligible.
Best Group could include any group who had an album reviewed in Songlines in 2009, issues 58-65 inclusive. Note a duo that isn’t cross-cultural counts as a Group rather than a Collaboration – for instance Hariprasad Chaurasia and Shivkumar Sharma, or Rodrigo & Gabriela.
Cross-Cultural Collaboration implies a meeting of different cultures so could include Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara or Jayme Stone and Mansa Sissoko.
The Newcomer category isn’t necessarily restricted to debut albums, but it must be their first major international release, available in the UK.
The Best Artist and Best Group ategories are mutually exclusive, but a Newcomer and Cross-Cultural Collaboration could both fall into one of the other classifications.
And if you need some help on remembering some of the fantastic music we’ve reviewed this year, then why not check out the list of all the 2009 Top of the World albums.
You can also listen to excerpts from the Top of the World albums on the Songlines Interactive samplers.
For the Songlines Music Awards terms and conditions and voting procedures, please click here.
