BBC 2005 World Music Awards (complete with audio links)

Winners were announced in late January in various geographical categories. Winner in the "Critics" category: Youssou n'Dour, over the other nominees: Tinariwen, Lhasa & Andrew Cronshaw. But... in the "Africa" category, Tinariwen won over Youssou and two other nominees...?

Montreal's Lhasa won in the Americas category.

fRoots Top 20

The BBC's Critic's Award nominees are based on the top four vote-getters in fRoots magazine's annual Top 20. Click the link for the whole list.

Afropop Worldwide Top Ten

Album of the Year: Youssou n'Dour's Egypt ("one of the most important African recordings in years").
(Afropop's poll resulted in a tie between Egypt and Tinariwen's Amassakoul for album of the year)

Also in the Top Ten:
Eva Ayllon, !Eva! Leyanda Peruana (Peru)
Gangbe Brass Band, Whendo (Benin)
Jaojoby, Malagasy (Madagascar)
Mory Kante, Sabou (Guinea)

Newcomer of the Year: Aurelio Martinez, Garifuna Soul (Honduras)
Shiyani Ngocobo, Introducing Shiyani Ngocobo (South Africa)
Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Across 110th Street (USA)
Tinariwen, Amassakoul (Mali)
Thandiswa, Zabalaza (South Africa)

Under "Compilations", they list the African Guitar Summit CD

Freight Train Boogie

And, in the Americana/roots/country field, here are various picks from the site's readers, and from its contributors.