Dimanche a Bamako (2005)

This blind Malian husband-and-wife duo, Amadou & Mariam, is bound to attract the NPR set with their peppy new polycultural release, Dimanche à Bamako. Already an esteemed Afro-pop act, they team up with Latin alternative superstar Manu Chao, who produces, co-writes, and performs on this album. Instead of diluting their sound, Chao juices their singsongy vocals with his playful, Pan-Latin approach. In fact, Chao's imprint is so strong, he nearly hijacks the CD, which isn't a bad thing, given that he hasn't released any new music since 2001.