Artist: Captain Planet
Album: Cookin’ Gumbo
Released: September 2^nd, 2011
Label: Bastard Jazz

Captain Planet’s debut album takes listeners on a global voyage that samples flavors from India, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Africa, Japan and the funky American South.  The album’s hip hop-funk-world music fusion is highly danceable and infectiously joyful, making it my favorite from 2011.

Artist: Fidel Nadal
Album: Forever Together
Released: November 8^th, 2011 (US release date)
Label: Nacional Records

Garnering two Latin Grammy nominations in 2011 including Best Alternative Album for Forever Together and Best Alternative Song for the album’s single “Te Robaste Mi Corazon”, Fidel Nadal has established himself as a powerful voice in Reggae.  Nadal is a fifth-generation Argentine and descendent of Angolan slaves, and before becoming a successful solo artist he founded the legendary Argentine rasta punk rock band, Todos Tus Muertos, which dissolved in 2000.

Artist: René Lopez
Album: E.L.S.
Released: August 30, 2011
Label: Nat Geo Records

Rene Lopez’s new album, E.L.S. (Nat Geo Music) refers to a now-signature sound he calls “Electric Latin Soul.” The sound is a celebration of Rene’s dual identity as both a native New Yorker and a second generation Puerto Rican American, and mixes Latin soul and Boogaloo with rock, hip-hop and R&B, featuring a seductive blend of hypnotic rhythms and Rene’s undeniably soulful voice. E.L.S. features co-producers Mario Caldato Jr., a.k.a. Mario C (Beastie Boys, Jack Johnson, Bebel Gilberto) and Jason Lader (Julian Casablancas, Jenny Lewis), as well as special guests Joey Altruda, and Money Mark (John Butler Trio).

Artist: Cheikh Lô
Album: Jamm (which means “peace” in Wolof)
Released: June 7, 2011
Label: Nonesuch Records Inc.

Mbalax, the intricate dance music of Senegal, has been made more accessible to Western listeners by Cheik Lô.  Softening the hard edges of mbalax and incorporating elements of salsa, Zairian/Congolese rhumba, folk and jazz, Lô has created an infectious, hook-laden style of pop music.

Artist: Ikebe Shakedown
Album: Ikebe Shakedown
Released: June 7, 2011
Label: Ubiquity Records

Ikebe Shakedown, the self-titled album from the Brooklyn-based band, plays with elements of cinematic soul, Afro-funk, deep disco, and boogaloo in all the right ways.  The group, named after a favorite Nigerian boogie record (and pronounced “ee-KAY-bay”), delivers a driving set of tunes featuring a mighty horn section anchored by tight, deep-pocketed grooves.

Artist: Smod
Album: SMOD
Released: May 24, 2011
Label: Nacional Records

Produced by Manu Chao, SMOD fuses rap, folk and blues with traditional Malian styles.  The group sings and raps in French and is fronted by Sam Doumbia, the son of world music stars Amadou & Mariam. Sam originally connected with Manu Chao in 2005 when Manu produced his parents’ breakthrough album, ‘Dimanche a Bamako,’ catapulting Amadou & Mariam into international icons.  SMOD embodies the emergence of a new scene in Africa that embraces new urban sounds while incorporating the importance of heritage. While the group has released three albums in Europe over the past 10 years, this new release is their North American debut.

Artist: Sergent Garcia
Album: Una y Otra Vez
Released: May 17, 2011
Label: Cumbancha

One of the pioneering figures in the global Latin Alternative movement, Bruno Garcia (a.k.a. Sergent Garcia) brings us the critically-acclaimed album, Una y Otra Vez, a musical journey to the heart of Colombia. Featuring collaborations with the stars of Colombia’s underground electrotropical scene, including Bomba Estéreo, La Mojarra Eléctrica, La-33, Sidestepper and others, Sergent Garcia takes stabs at the status quo with hard-hitting lyrics blended with funky grooves spiked with salsa, reggae, cumbia, ska, rock and hip-hop.

Artist: Blitz the Ambassador
Album: Native Sun
Released: May 3, 2011
Label: Embassy MVMT

Ghanaian-born, New York-based MC/composer/producer Blitz the Ambassador unleashes psychedelic Afro-beat colors and triple-time rhymes on Native Sun. The album was sparked in Accra yet forged in the African Diaspora. Blitz shifts between Twi, West African Pigeon and English; between good old R&B and Ethiopian funk jazz without losing a beat.

 - Submitted by Anita Benner, Music Design