The International Edit of Top 10 Albums of 2025. Although it’s at the bottom of my alphabetized list, my favorite album of the year was the 4th installment of Shika Shika’s “Guide to Birdsong” series. This compilation paired migratory birds with artists who immigrated to new home countries. The connection between the birds and musicians’ lives is sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, but always moving for the listener.
| Artist | Album | Label | |
| 1 | Abel Selacoe [US/Africa] | Four Spirits (Live) | Warner Classics |
| 2 | Anoushka Shankar [India/London] | Chapter III: We Return to Light | Leiter |
| 3 | Charif Megarbane [Middle East/Berlin] | Habibi Funk 030: Hawalat | Habibi Funk Records |
| 4 | Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek [Turkey/Germany]] | Yarın Yoksa | Big Crown Records |
| 5 | Ichiko Aoba [Japan] | Luminescent Creatures | Psychic Hotline |
| 6 | KINGDOM MOLONGI [Uganda] | Kembo | Nyege Nyege Tapes |
| 7 | Lagartijeando [Argentina] | 7 Caminos |
Wonderwheel Recordings
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| 8 | Sababa 5 [Israel] | Nadir | Batov Records |
| 9 | Songhoy Blues (Mali) | Héritage | Transgressive |
| 10 | Various Artists [International] | A Guide to the Birdsong of Migration | Shika Shika |
