Charlie Gillett is up there with Sir Ranulph Fiennes as one of the cracking world explorers. A musical cartographer, he's been function the sounds of the globe in his tuner broadcasts over the last four decades, most recently through his weekly show on the BBC's World Service.
This double CD is the ninth in his annual gazetteer of music from the four corners, with tracks by 34 artists from 28 countries. As with previous compilations, the focus is less on depth than breadth, providing a deliciously varied sample of tracks from the past twelve months, charting its risers as well as its fallers – the final track in the collection is fittingly by Lucky Dube, in tribute to the reggae musician murdered in Johannesburg in late 2007.
There are a few well-established names in this compilation: a couple of great tracks from legends Youssou N'Dour and Orchestra Baobab; Manu Chao with his irresistible 2007 hit Me Llaman Calle; and Mali's maestro of the kora, Toumani Diabaté.
Lining up alongside them are more recent break-through artists, such as Toronto-based, Trinidadian-born Kobo Town with the calypso morality tale Abatina from the hit 2007 album, Independence, still, as yet undistributed in the UK. Simphiwe Dana, South Africa's newest singing star, figures here with the silky urban jazz of Bantu Biko Street.
But there are also some gems from less familiar artists. Madagascar's Rajery is remarkable, playing the multi-stringed valiha (a bamboo tube zither) like a virtuoso, despite only having one hand. And there's a lovely narrative in Afrikaans from poet/troubadour, Gert Vlok Nel – the autobiographical Beautiful In Beaufort Wes, about growing up in a small South African town, sounds like the meeting of two Dylans - Thomas and Bob.
There is some fascinating cultural fusion. Dengue Fever set out to recreate Cambodian rock 'n' roll from the 1960s, mixing trippy, high-pitched Khmer vocals from front-woman Chhom Nimol with west-coast surf guitar riffs. And there's a compelling mash-up of dub and Romanian gypsy music in Inel Inel De Aur from Shantel vs Rona Hartner & DJ Click.
Whether you're an aficionado already, or you're still dipping your toes into the ocean of non-Anglophone music, there is something here to surprise you. Gillett is an inspiring guide along a vast and wonderful shore.
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