Most Anticipated Albums of 2011: World/Latin
BY RACHEL DEVITT
JANUARY 12, 2011 4:08 PM

The worlds of world and Latin music can be very disparate. But because there is some overlap (hence, the job title of yours truly), we've merged the two worlds (or perhaps more accurately, multiple worlds) temporarily to run through some of the year's most hotly anticipated albums. Just call it musical globalization! On this vast horizon, then, are Garifuna soul and Guadalajaran rock, Pitbull and Ladysmith Black Mambazo — and that's essentially just the first quarter of 2011. In short, the world(s) are looking pretty exciting this year.

Pitbull, Planet Pit (March)
Pitbull spent 2010 playing crossover guest star to pals like Enrique Iglesias ("I Like It") and Usher ("DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love") and dropping his first (entirely) Spanish-language album. Twenty-eleven is set to find him taking that crossover appeal, jumping back in the driver's seat and, apparently, driving all over the planet. If the lead single off Mr. 305's sixth album is any indication, his plan for conquering the world has diverged much from earlier efforts. "International Love" pulses with friendly, vaguely Latin but mostly generically clubby beats and plenty of innocuously sexy braggadocio. In other words, he's not taking any risks, but hey, if it ain't broke ...

Mana, Drama Y Luz (February)
After three decades playing together, seven well-received studio albums, three Grammys, five Latin Grammys and one stint touring with Mr. Carlos Santana, Mana are pretty much Latin rock stalwarts. You know them. You like them. And even if you don't know them, we pretty much guarantee you'll find their rootsy arena grooves likable. A new Mana album (their first since 2006's Amar es Combatir) is, therefore, as much a cause to celebrate as, say, your old college buddies coming to town for the weekend. You'll smile, you'll have a few drinks, you'll think of good times and you'll most likely dance.

Vusi Mahlasela, Say Africa (January 18)
Celebrated by global music fans for his moving African folk and his anti-Apartheid activism, the South African singer known as "The Voice" has been working to introduce himself to American audiences for the past few years. His efforts, which include two albums on Dave Matthews' label and plenty of genre- and globe-crossing collabos, have been considerable and critically acclaimed, somehow managing to make duets with people like Josh Groban work and yet still retain the emotion, politicism and the gorgeous aesthetic architecture of the delicate South African folk fans originally fell in love with. We can't wait to hear what he has in store for us next.

Aurelio Martinez, Laru Beya (January 18)
He follows in the footsteps of the late beloved artist Andy Palacio, playing in the rich, uniquely diasporic Garifuna tradition. He was hand-selected to be Youssou N'Dour's mentee by the artist himself. And his latest album will be the second for Next Ambiance, Sub Pop's groundbreaking, much-buzzed-about new world music imprint. In other words, Aurelio Martinez has quite a pedigree, and Laru Beya is an exciting prospect. The couple tracks we've heard off  the album have a more soulful, groove-driven, world pop sound than Martinez's previous work, an interesting new direction for the Belizean artist.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Songs from a Zulu Farm (February 1)
Everyone's favorite high-kicking, all-male South African choir will release another of its beloved kids' albums this year, this time taking their shimmering harmonies, vocal pops and buzzes, and smart, infectious buoyancy out to the country. Show us the person who doesn't want to hear a Zulu version of "Old MacDonald" (the album's lead single) and we'll show you a person who is either a dirty liar or just dead inside. "E-I-E-I-O" never sounded so inspirational.

Sidi Toure, Sahel Folk (January 25)
This Malian singer-guitarist has, with good reason, been generating buzz for a few years now, though he's stayed somewhat under the radar thus far, overshadowed a bit by other, more widely known Malian artists (including another, very famous Toure who is no relation). But if there's any justice in the musical world, his second album — a homey, loving collaboration with friends and colleagues recorded at his sister's house in Gao — will be the album that breaks him onto the world's radar. Toure's sound, a blend of Songhai and other regional folk styles that touches on Saharan desert blues as often as it does Ali Farka Toure's West African soul, brims with hushed, thoughtful vocals and, of course, that shimmering waterfall of Malian guitar. In short, it's absolutely gorgeous stuff.