National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Andy Palacio is one of Belize's biggest stars, who made his bones playing the local punta-rock dance music. But on Watina Palacio returns to the roots music of his Garifuna people—the Afro-indigenous people of Central America—and leads his Garifuna Collective band through a largely acoustic set of traditional rhythms. Each track is based on a traditional Garifuna rhythm, and each song is sung in the endangered Garifuna language, which is rooted in Arawak and influenced by French, Carib and West African languages. The album is an impassioned plea for the preservation of Garifuna language and folkways, featuring some of Belize's legendary musicians and performers as guests. But the album isn't a dirge or a solemn comemoration—it's a lively, danceable living celebration of Palacio's roots and culture. Watina's joyous, infectious spirit makes the most eloquent argument for the need to preserve these unique Caribbean treasures.

— Tom Pryor