1. Koko Dembelé (Mali) - Sinibé - 5:17
Koko Dembelé, with Alpha Blondy and Lucky Dube, is among the preeminent reggae musicians of Africa. Listen on Amazon to a sample of this song.

2. Manu Dibango with Baaba Maal (Cameroon) - Soma Loba - 7:34
Manu Dibango, now in his mid-70s, is a UNESCO Artist for Peace. Read more about him starting on Wikipedia. Baaba Maal sings on this rousing live recording. Listen on Amazon.

3. Extra Golden (US, Kenya) - from Obama - 4:48
Extra Golden - of Illinois, Ohio and Kenya - thank in this song all those who have helped them and their music. Several years ago, Barack Obama, for whom this song is named, was instrumental in getting the Kenyan band members visas to the US. We saw this group perform in Boston in late July along with Daby Touré. You can listen and download on eMusic or watch and listen on You Tube.

4. Abby Surya Djai (Congo DRC) - Nabosani Yo - 3:55
Abby Surya Djai has sung for twenty years with a veritable pantheon of central African musicians. Here's a photo and brief bio. Listen on Amazon.

5. Les Go de Koteba (Ivory Coast) - Nanibali - 4:01
Les Go ("The Girls") are from Mali, Guinea and Ivory Coast. Here's an engaging biography and review. You can listen to a sample of this song on Amazon.

6. Natacha Atlas (Belgium, Morocco) - Yariet - 3:35
Haunting music from a self-labeled "human Gaza Strip", referring to her very mixed ancestry. The Wikipedia article is a trove. Listen to a sample on Amazon.

7. Salif Keita (Mali) - Sada - 5:21
Albino and a descendent of Malian royalty, Salif Keita is approaching sixty years of age. Here is his website in French. Listen on Amazon.

8. Kaïssa (Cameroon) - O Si Keka - 7:39
A fine website for a fine and stirring singer: "an electric mix of character and clarity, strength and fragility, total control and unbridled joy". Beautiful, too. She's on Putamayo's Women of the World: Acoustic album. Listen to sample of this song on Amazon.

9. Jimi Mbaye (Senegal) - Awa - 3:44
Here's Jimi's MySpace profile backed with another of his fine songs. Listen to a sample of this song on Amazon.

10. Steve Kekana (South Africa) - Ngayivuye - 4:25
Steve Kekana, now 50 years old, lost his sight at an eary age, but that has not stopped him from becoming a lawyer and a renowned pop and gospel musician in South Africa. Here's a biography. Listen to a sample of this song on Amazon.

11. African Gospel Rhythms (US, Zambia) - Mambo - 3:03
This missionary group is based in Maine. Their website. Listen to a sample of this song on Amazon.

12. Baba Ken Okulolo (Nigeria) - Oberi Oberi - 4:15
Baba Ken Okulolo grew up in a tiny fishing village in Nigeria and now lives in California. Here's an interesting biography. Listen to a sample of this meditative song on Amazon.

13. Women of the Calabash (US) - Nkosi Sikeleli Africa - 2:35
This beautiful and unusual a capella rendition of the pan-African anthem is from the Women's Kwanzaa album. The Women have been performing worldwide as a group for 30 years, though apparently much less actively recently. Their biography. Listen to a sample on Amazon.