A world music compilation from Intuition Records, this album covers a good deal of ground in its course. It starts out with a lush tango from the master of nueva tango, Astor Piazzolla. It moves on through a catchy version of ghazal singing from British Hindu Najma, and a light piece of soukous from Maurice Poto Doudongo, a Zairian living in Paris and Brussels. The next piece is a moving work of the new flamenco movement from Gerardo Nunez, followed by a work from Brazil's Milton Nascimento. A tightly packed arrangement by Eddie Palmieri follows, as does a piece by Malian vocal master Salif Keita. Finishing out the collection are trumpeter Jon Hassell with Farafina, Algerian Cheb Kaled, and the electric dulcimer of Never Been There. Overall, not a bad album, though a little light from time to time, but still a worthwhile listen. If you're new to the idea of world music, it might not be a bad place to start, though other collections (say, Global Meditation on Ellipsis) may be a better choice, but for a single disc, this is not bad at all. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
