If you've aimed your eyes at any music magazine or website over the last couple of months, you'll have seen a best-of-2009 list or two. Not adverse to a little putting-stuff-we-like-in-an-arbitrary-order fun ourselves, here are BBC Music's own top albums of the year that's barely slipped from the rear view mirror.

These lists come courtesy of BBC Music's many contributors - over 50 writers submitted their favourite albums of 2009 - and were gently teased into shape over the course of several weeks. Hopefully we've highlighted a few of your own highlights of last year. If not, feel free to let us know what great albums we've missed here. You can leave your comment/s at the bottom of the article.

All quotes are taken from BBC Music reviews, with the exception of a handful of country releases that (inexplicably!) were never covered here. Apologies, country fans.

NB. Rock & Indie is a top 20, rather than a top 10, because more votes were received for albums in this category than any other, and frankly everything in the list deserves a double-thumbs-up for its awesomeness. Well done, Rock & Indie.

WORLD

1: Staff Benda Bilili - Tres Tres Fort
"This is a remarkable debut that will no doubt earn Staff Benda Bilili much deserved attention and respect."
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2: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - I Speak Fula
"Intricate in play but endlessly listenable, I Speak Fula deserves to find its way out of the world music ghetto and onto the world stage."
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3: Tinariwen - Imidiwan: Companions
"This 13-strong collection finds the Saharan seven-piece continuing to fire on musical cylinders souped up over the best part of three decades together."
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4: Céu - Vagarosa
"It oozes class and is Brazilian to the core yet, surreptitiously and almost imperceptibly, guides it to a whole new place."
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5: Various Artists - Ghana Special
"This is sweetly infectious dance music of the most democratic kind: there's always more than one rhythm to groove to, just take your pick."
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6: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Gurrumul
"The strength of his gently soaring vocals and the power of songs like Wiyathul, Marrandil and Gurrumul History (I Was Born Blind) make this a remarkable album."
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7: Vieux Farka Touré - Fondo
"Ali Farka Touré's tutelage can be clearly heard and it's a beautifully touching aspect of what is one of the finest albums to come out of Africa this year."
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8: Oumou Sangare - Seya
"It's the best thing since her marvellous 1991 debut Moussoulou, which is one of the all time great treasures of Malian music."
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9: Jimi Tenor and Tony Allen - Inspiration Information 4
"An unlikely pairing, but volume 4 is one of the most engaging and fully realised albums in the Inspiration Information series so far."
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10: Gypsy Groovz Orchestra - Night Train for Lovers and Thieves
"This is the genuine article, an understated but exhilarating tour-de-force of soulful, rootsy, Balkan brass, and perhaps the year's best album of Gypsy music."
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