Various Artists

A Tribute to the King of Zydeco

(Valcour Records)

This commemorative set rose from the swamps of the bayou (OK, Dockside Studio, south of Lafayette) and out into the summer. Dedicated to the ‘King of Zydeco’, Clifton Chenier, the creator of the original gumbo, it marked his 100th birthday, and was led off at a wild gallop by the Rolling Stones, with Steve Riley on accordion and Chenier’s drummer Robert St Julien on the skins, cutting one of their most raucous rackets in ages. Jagger’s voice and harmonica, and Richards’ Telecaster (the one he used for ‘Brown Sugar’) raise hell and their hats to tradition while turning it right round. Riley later said that Richards’ playing was precisely what would get you fired from any zydeco band. Too loud, too fast, too early. Oh, yeah? “His instincts, of course, were dead on.” What follows on from ‘Zydeco Sont Pas Salés’ is a spiced, salty mix of zydeco greats and guest singers and players, ranging from country singer Charley Crockett paired with veteran saxman Derek Huston and accordion player Nathan Williams Sr on ‘Easy, Easy Baby’ to John Cleary and Curley Taylor bringing an ooze of sweet and spicey blues to ‘I’m on the Wonder’. Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Taj Mahal and John Hiatt are among the other stars melding tradition and innovation with a standing company of zydeco players whose musical spirits circulate through the record’s 14 songs, closing with a great cut from Clifton’s son, CJ, taking vocals on ‘I’m Comin Home’. There’s not a duff song in the set. Good reason for taking the Best Compilation award. TIM CUMMING

Runners-up

Woody Guthrie

Woody At Home – Volumes 1 & 2

(Shamus Records)

Guthrie recorded these raw, intimate home tapes in his Brooklyn apartment on a reel-to-reel during 1951 and 52 as demos for his publisher. Previously unreleased, they were his final recordings. They find Guthrie singing known and little known songs, 13 of which were never formally documented elsewhere, among them ‘Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee)’, one of the great 20th-century protest songs. Nigel Williamson

Francis Bebey

Trésor Magnétique

(Africa Seven)

Unheard cuts, alternate versions and outtakes from one of Cameroon’s most celebrated artists burst with an energy and originality that defined Bebey’s career. Far from being a curio for completists, the album is an excellent introduction to his oeuvre. The extended version of ‘Forest Nativity’, with spoken-word poetry, cycling thumb pianos and electronic touches, presents an artist rooted in Cameroonian tradition, but focused on the future. Andrew Taylor-Dawson

Various Artists

Roots Rocking Zimbabwe – The Modern Sound of Harare’ Townships 1975–1980

(Analog Africa)

The popular sounds of 70s Harare were cosmopolitan, taking in rock, hard funk, soul, heavy metal and reggae, as well as Congolese rumba and South African mbaqanga. The city’s brightest stars embraced these styles, along with local traditional music, and took them for a spin. There’s a definite unity of vibe, full of shimmering guitars, snappy drums and amazing basslines. A wonderful work of historical musical geography. Jim Hickson

Various Artists

Edna Martinez Presents Picó: Sound System Culture From The Colombian Caribbean

(Strut Records)

For decades, DJ Edna Martinez has been going to picós, colourful neighbourhood parties fronted by hand-painted rigs where sound selectors compete to drop the hottest tracks from the Caribbean and beyond. Here, Martinez, a Colombian now based in Berlin, focuses on 1960–1990, assembling 16 sizzlers emblematic of a great picó soundtrack, some enhanced by a respectful ‘edit’. Charles de Ledesma