1. Zim Ngqawana (South Africa) - Thula Sizwe - 3:35
Quiet, reflective piano jazz from a master who has played across Africa and in Europe and the United States. Here is his website. Listen to a sample of this tune on Amazon.

2. Chantal Taiba (Ivory Coast) - Mwinda Na N’Gai - 5:23
Watch Chantal on YouTube, read about her in French on the French Wikipedia. This is one of her quietest ballads. There's a small photo of her here. Listen to some of this song on Amazon.

3. M’Passi & Chèbli (Congo DRC, Comoros Islands) - Mungu - 3:58
See their very nice rumba, "Bahati" ("luck" in Swahili), on YouTube. This cheerful song - the name means "God" - is from their 2007 album Jua (sun). Listen on Amazon.

4. Mhlanga & Van der Westen (South Africa) - Kufamba - 3:26
Louis Mhlanga was born and raised in Zimbabwe of South African parents. Musicians in South Africe persuaded him to return to his ancestral land, where he has flourished. Here is an interesting interview with him. Mhalanga's website. Listen on Amazon.

5. Francis Bebey (Cameroon) - Idiba (Morning) - 2:55
Bebey, a renowned poet, novelist and musician, died in 2001. This song is probably from the 1970s: the voice is young, and the guitar playing is very similar to Willie Nelson's on the Red Headed Stranger album. Here's a short biography on Wikipedia. Listen on Amazon.

6. Yawo (Togo) - Land of Strangers - 4:30
Check out Yawo's catchy MySpace page. Here's his biography. He played across the northern and eastern parts of the United States in 2007 - hope he's back in 2008! Listen on Amazon.

7. Netsayi (Zimbabwe) - Kwazwai - 2:40
This powerful song is from Netsayi's debut album Chimurenga Soul. "Chimurenga" means "liberation struggle" in the Shona language. BBC quotes her: "'Aside from my songs being about all the pressures people are faced with in life, it’s also a chance for me to explore the stereotypes about music, genre and people’s concepts of culture. We are all influenced by things beyond our immediate context. There are no neat boxes." Listen on Amazon.

8. Daby Touré (Mali, Senegal) - Mi Malama - 4:26
Daby's outstanding website is packed with information about him and his music. This enchanting song is about a farmer gazing at his cattle bathed in morning sunlight. Listen to a sampling of this song on Amazon.

9. Frank Mensah Pozo (Ghana) - Odo Bi Ye Nhye - 4:56
This Ghana Music website and GhanaWeb page have brief descriptions and and photos of Pozo. Not much is available about him - is he still active? His website is defunct. Listen on Amazon.

10. Abby Surya Djai (Congo DRC) - Ndaya Mon Amour - 4:49
Abby Surya Djai has sung with all the famous performers from the Congo including Sam Mangawana and Papa Wemba. Here is a brief biography with a photo. Listen on Amazon.

11. Jean Paul Samputu (Rwanda) - Mana Wari Uri He - 4:42
Jean Paul Samputu has been a premier Rwandan musician and performer since the early 1980s. There are many photos on his vivid website. He has performed at Lincoln Center in New York City and the Library of Congress in Washington DC. This song - "God, Where Were You?" - is from the heartfelt Testimony from Rwanda. Listen on Amazon.

12. Idrissa Soumaoro (Mali) - Gni Djougou (False Friend) - 5:05
Here's a brief biography of Idrissa, who has developed his own unique, bluesy musical idiom over the years. Listen on eMusic.

13. Nawal (Comoros Islands) - Hegne - 1:58
Nawal's voice is haunting. Here is her spare but informative website, very much worth a visit. In 2008 she's apparently performing only in France, Norway and the Netherlands. Last summer she was at Ryles in Cambridge MA and many other venues across the United States. Listen to part of this song on Amazon.