Songlines magazine announces the final nominees of the Songlines Music Awards 2010 and releases a compilation album on March 22, featuring all 16 nominated artists.
Following on from the success of last year’s inaugural awards, Songlines magazine is delighted to announce the final nominees in the 2010 Songlines Music Awards. The Songlines Music Awards recognise outstanding talent in world music and are voted by Songlines readers and the general public. There are four categories: Best Artist, Best Group, Cross-Cultural Collaboration and Newcomer. The final nominees are the top four in each category from the public vote. The winners of each category will be announced in the June issue (#68) of Songlines, on sale from April 30, 2010. The 16 final nominees are:

BEST ARTIST

Goran Bregović (for the album Alkohol – Sljivovica & Champagne on Blue Wrasse)

Bassekou Kouyaté (for the album I Speak Fula with Ngoni ba on Out Here Records)

Oumou Sangaré (for the album Seya on World Circuit)

Lura (for the album Eclipse on Lusafrica)

BEST GROUP

Gypsy Groovz Orchestra Goes TuttiMundi (for the album Night Train for Lovers and Thieves on Network Medien)

Staff Benda Bilili (for the album Très Très Fort on Crammed Discs)

Tinariwen (for the album Imidiwan: Companions on Independiente)

Shooglenifty (for the album Murmichan on Shoogle Records)

CROSS-CULTURAL COLLABORATION

Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara (for the album Tell No Lies on Real World)

Transglobal Underground (for the album Run Devils & Demon (Best Of) on Nascente)

Stockholm Lisboa Project (for the album Diagonal on Westpark)

Faiz Ali Faiz/Titi Robin (for the album Jaadu on Accords Croisés)

NEWCOMER

Invisible System (for the album Punt: Made in Ethiopia on Harper Diabaté)

Deolinda (for the album Canção ao Lado on World Connection)

Speed Caravan (for the album Kalashnik Love on Real World)

Mamer (for the album Eagle on Real World)

“The audience for world music is greater now than it’s ever been,” says Simon Broughton, editor-in-chief of Songlines, “and it’s reaching out in ever more diverse directions. The fact that we have Balkan maestro Goran Bregović and Western China’s Mamer as nominees is indicative of that. But it’s still essential to have awards in which the leading names can be feted and the new and innovative names highlighted.”

Songlines is also releasing a compilation album, distributed by Proper Music, on March 22, 2010, featuring all 16 nominated artists.
www.songlines.co.uk/music-awards

Tags: bassekou kouyate, goran bregovic, lura, oumou sangare, shooglenifty, songlines music awards 2010, Staff Benda Bilili, tinariwen.

The April/May 2010 issue of Songlines is on sale in the UK from March 19 and includes our regular Top of the World CD with ten tracks from the finest new releases from around the planet. There’s also a selection of five tracks selected by comedian Steve Martin.

The Top of the World CD includes tracks from Bollywood playback legend Asha Bhosle; Gotan Project duo Müller & Makaroff; soulful DRC singer Lokua Kanza; versatile Scottish piper Michael McGoldrick; Cuban salsa and son troupe Asere and new Saharan desert blues outfit Tamikrest, among others.

The main editorial features include:

• Songlines Music Awards – Find out who’s been nominated in this year’s Songlines Music Awards.

• Cesaria Evora – A rare interview with Cape Verde’s charismatic grande dame of song.

• Béla Fleck and the Banjo – Taking our lead from banjo player Béla Fleck, we trace the instrument’s African roots.

• The Chieftains and Ry Cooder – How an odd chapter of Mexican-American history led the Irish band to hook up with Ry Cooder and discover Mexican music.

• Xalam – Digging through the archives to salute one of Senegal’s original supergroups.

• Balkan Beat Box – A crash-course in partying with a conscience from the mongrel crew.

• Sounding Out Addis Ababa – all the best places to see and hear music in the Ethiopian capital.

• Beginner’s Guide to Pandit Jasraj.

• Postcard from Argentina.

• Festival Med, Portugal.

• Backpage from Melbourne, Australia.

• My World – comedian Steve Martin.

• Grooves – Ian King, Kid Creole and Karan Casey share their favourites.

• News, including K’Naan’s World Cup song.

• Reviews of the latest CD, DVD and World Cinema releases.

Tags: asha bhosle, cesaria evora, gotan project, steve martin.

This podcast includes highlights from the April/May 2010 issue of Songlines (#67) opening with an excerpt by comedian-actor Steve Martin (our cover artist this issue). Songlines editor in chief, Simon Broughton, plays an extract from the second free CD with this issue, Iranian Underground as well as a bonus track from Steve Martin’s playlist – ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown’ from the album Earl Scruggs And Friends.
Features include: Nasim Masoud with the nominations for the 2010 Songlines Music Awards, Lucy Wilson on Balkan Beat Box and Jenny Cathcart on Senegalese band Xalam. Nathaniel Handy brings you the latest news with the Official UK World Music Album Chart, as well as music from Amparo Sánchez (Wrasse) and a preview of Jim Moray’s forthcoming album, which will be available for free, exclusively with the next issue of Songlines. The podcast ends with an extract from Cesaria Evora’s Nha Sentimento album on Lusafrica.
The next Songlines podcast, featuring highlights from the June issue (#68), will be available from April 30 2010.

Tags: songlines music awards, songlines podcast, steve martin.