National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Unless you've been living under a rock-that was locked in a pressurized container in a bathysphere at the bottom of the Marianas Trench-you probably already know that Vampire Weekend's sophomore album Contra is due out on January 12th and that its already the most talked-about new release of the new year.

And while we here at Nat Geo Music definitely get a kick out of VW's whole semi-ironic, post-colonial mashup of Ivy League privilege and appropriated African guitar licks, we're also looking forward to a whole lot of other new releases in 2010.

From pioneering veterans like The Chieftains and Angelique Kidjo to relative newcomers like Nigerian singer/songwriter Nneka and Colombian rap trio Choc Quib Town, the first few months of 2010 are offering up a solid crop of aural treats for dedicated music fans.

Nat Geo Music has already done our listening and we've cherrypicked 12 of our favorite new world music releases for 2010, all due out between January and April. So, be the first on your block and tell all your friends... and don't forget to check out Nat Geo Music's own big 2010 releases, including new music from Balkan Beat Box in April, and Parisian funkateer Bibi Tanga's first Stateside release later this spring!

Various Artists
Dengue Fever Presents Electric Cambodia: 14 Rare Gems From Cambodia's Past
Minky Records

January 12th

We love L.A. band Dengue Fever's contemporary recreation of the sound of Cambodia's short-lived, late '60s rock scene. Now the group curates this excellent new compilation of the original music that inspired them, including legendary singers Ros Sereysothea and Sinn Sisamouth. Proceeds from the album go to the Cambodian Living Arts foundation, which means that this swinging, psychedelic artifact gets bonus points for helping rescue Cambodia's threatened musical heritage from extinction.

Razia
Zebu Nation
Cumbancha

January 26th

Singer/songwriter Razia Said gets back to her Madagascan roots on this lovely and evocative new fusion of traditional Malagasy music and contemporary jazz and r&b inflections. But don't expect a glossy sheen, Zebu Nation is stripped down and soulful, and rooted firmly in Malagasy tradition by some very swinging accordion work.

Nneka
Concrete Jungle
Decon

February 2nd

Diminutive powerhouse Nneka takes her place alongside the likes of Ayo and Asa as part of a new generation of female Nigerian singer/songwriters based both at home and abroad. With two records under her belt, she's already well-known in Africa and Europe, and Concrete Jungle's mix of gritty, tough-minded, politics-are-personal ballads and anthems stands poised to win her lots of Stateside fans, too.

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
I Speak Fula
Sub Pop/ Next Ambiance

February 2nd

Malian musician Bassekou Kouyate is a master of the ngoni - a traditional lute-like instrument that some scholars have pegged as the precursor to the banjo. But Kouyate's new release is anything but traditional, with the help of his killer band (and heavy-hitting guests Toumani Diabaté & Vieux Farka Touré), I Speak Fula rocks hard enough to be a worthy first release on the legendary Sub Pop label's new world music imprint.

Sade
Soldier of Love
Epic/Sony

February 9th

That's right, legendary smooth soul diva Sade is back with her first new album in almost 10 years. And if you're wondering why this veteran R&B hitmaker is included in our world music roundup, then you may have forgotten that the Nigerian-born Sade has been the inspiration for so many other divas from the developing world. Sade's international jet-set cool remains intact here, still a beacon for aspiring singers from all margins of the globe.

Angelique Kidjo
Oyo
Razor & Tie

February 9th

GRAMMY-winning afropop diva Angelique Kidjo returns to her roots with an album devoted to covers of the music that inspired her while growing up in Benin. Oyo is an eclectic mix that includes everything from James Brown and Aretha Franklin covers to inspired takes on a Bollywood classic, West African folk songs and a smoky Sidney Bechet standard from the '40s - not to mention guest appearances from Roy Hargrove and the Antibalas horns.

Undersea Poem
Undersea Poem
Six Degrees

Feb 9th

Fans of the late, lamented Mosquitos-who combined Brazilian cool with exuberant American pop-will love Undersea Poem, that latest project from Mosquitos founders Chris Root and Juju Stulbach. Their debut album on Six Degrees, turns up the heat making for some of the most langorous Brazilian chillout grooves this side of Sao Paulo.

ChocQuibTown
Oro
Nacional Records

March 2nd

It's no secret that Colombia's ChocQuibTown are one of our favorite recent discoveries here at Nat Geo Music - we were blown away the first time we saw the lyrical triumverate of Tostao, Goyo and Slow combine laptop hip-hop with the rhythms and dialect of the black communities of Colombia's Pacific Coast. Now this fearsome group is making international moves with Oro and their first major U.S. tour later this year.

The Chieftains
San Patricio
Fantasy Records/ Concord

Ireland's venerable Chieftains take their show on the road once again, this time teaming up with uber-producer Ry Cooder and an all-star cast (Linda Ronstadt, Liam Neeson, Van Dyke Parks, Lila Downs, Los Tigres del Norte, Carlos Nunez) to take on the music of Mexico. The lads also give a not-so-sublte history lesson with a shout-out to the little-known San Patricio brigade - Irish soldiers who fought and died for Mexico during the U.S.-Mexican war of 1846. ¡Viva Irelanda!

Speed Caravan
Kalashnik Love
Real World

March 9th

Led by veteran Algerian oud-player Mehdi Haddab, Parisian quartet Speed Caravan put a fast and furious hard rock spin on Arabic Pop. With blistering takes on everyone from The Cure to The Chemical Brothers, this ain't your father's Raï music... in fact, it's not even Raï music at all. This is rock and roll from the banlieues of Paris and and the Maghreb.

Las Rubias del Norte
Ziguala
Barbes Records

March 9th

Brooklyn's acclaimed Rubias del Norte return after a two year hiatus with their breezy, dulcet take on vintage tropical sounds intact - but this time they're venturing far beyond their usual Cuban and Latin haunts to include Neopolitan ballads, Kurt Weill songs, Peruvian chicha and even a little Bollywood razzle-dazzle thrown in for good measure.

Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars
Rise And Shine
Cumbancha

March 23rd

Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars are no strangers to calamity, dislocation and exile - having literally come together to make music in the refugee camps they fled to in the face of their homeland's civil war. Now that peace has come to their corner of West Africa, the band continues to use their music to heal - and this time they're bringing their message to bear on another great African city that's suffered hard times: New Orleans. The spirit of the Crescent City permeates the album thanks to the participation of local favorites Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Bonerama and Washboard Chaz. It's a helluva ride!