Search - Putumayo Presents :: One World Many Cultures

Celebrity duets,world-music style

Amaranth | Northern California | 01/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Duets have become the IN THING.From reggae star Wyclef Jean collaborating with Shakira in "Hips don't lie" to Timbaland's collaborations with Justin Timberlake in "SexyBack"&Nelly Furtado in "Promiscuous" as well as Tony Bennett's recent duet album with k.d.lang,Elton John,George Michael,the Dixie Chicks&Sir Paul McCartney,duets are all the rage.



Putumayo has gotten in on the act--and this album was the perfect conclusion for 2006."One World,Many Cultures" is a wondrous,haunting compilation of world music duets.



The album opens with Wasis Diop&Lena Fiagbe's dreamlike,trancey "African Dream." The Idan Raichel Project's "Bo'ee" unites a mystical Ethiopian chorus with Israeli techno.Alan Stivell&Youssou N'Dour's "United Earth" (which was also on Putumayo's now out-of-print "Dublin to Dakar")gracefully fuses Senegalese vocals with Celtic music.The unlikely collaboration of country singer Willie Nelson with the reggae group the Toots&the Maytals results in the strangely hypnotic "Still is still moving to me." The Malian group Tama&the Indian singer Susheela Raman have the haunting "Snimbe." Baka Beyond presents an enchanting instrumental as an interlude.The Ethiopian Gigi's "Utopia" is magical,showing the alchemy of her recent "Gold&Wax" album.The Middle Eastern vocals on the Fadoua/Jerome Lamasset collaboration make "Yalil-Belle Futile" mysterious&powerful.The album closes with an unlikely duet between reggae heir Ziggy Marley&the Prince of Rai,Cheb Mami.Instead of sounding forced,"Madanite" skillfully interweaves Cheb Mami's vocal gymnastics with Marley's shuffling reggae beat.



The album art shows some of the artists.



Top row (left to right)-Idan Raichel (Israel),Gigi (Ethiopia),Cheb Mami (Algeria)



Bottom row (left to right)-Susheela Raman (India),Taj Mahal (USA),Ziggy Marley (Jamaica)



"One World,Many Cultures" is a step above duet albums that are popular these days.It's a perfect addition to any world music library--and a great introduction to world fusion for the casual listener."One World,Many Cultures" is "easy listening"--in a GOOD way."

International Fusion Served with Uncommon Dexterity on Anoth

Ed Uyeshima | San Francisco, CA USA | 11/22/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Putumayo continues to provide the breadth of world music with this winning collection that may contain some of the most unlikely cross-cultural collaborations but true to the disc's title, shows how compatible musicians can be when they have sensibilities that transcend international borders. All the songs share a relaxing quality that makes the listener curious about the origins of the sounds, which is exactly the intent of this global compendium. Musicians famous in their native lands dominate the first two tracks - "African Dream" teams Senegalese performer Wasis Diop with British soul chanteuse Lena Fiagbe on an infectiously loping track, while "Bo'ee" is driven by the Israeli ensemble, the Idan Raichel Project, which seamlessly blends ancient musical traditions with contemporary hi-tech sounds.



The international superstars come into play with Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour performing with Breton singer/harpist Alan Stivell on Stivell's driving Celtic brotherhood anthem, "A United Earth I"; Willie Nelson's "Still Is Still Moving to Me" featuring reggae mainstays Toots and the Maytals with Toots Hibbert and Nelson casually trading world-weary vocals; and blues great Taj Mahal reinventing his classic "Queen Bee" in a West African mode, joined appropriately by two Malian performers, kora player Toumani Diabaté and singer Ramata Diakité. The Malian-Guinean band Tama, led by British guitarist Sam Mills and Malian kora player Tom Diakité, contributes an intoxicating beat on "Snimbe" with Mills' wife, Susheela Raman, a Sanskrit specialist singer providing sonorous vocals.



Cross-cultural band Baka Beyond strips down into a three-member ensemble, EtÉ, and provides an instrumental track that's an intriguing mix of Celtic-flavored violin and West African drums. Two female singers are showcased on separate tracks - Ethiopian singer Gigi offers her hope for world unity in the beat-heavy "Utopia", while Moroccan singer Fadoua provides the Arabic chant weaving through French musician Jérôme Lamasset's flavorful "Yalil-Belle Futile". Congolese singer Martin Kongo provides the relaxing vocals on Italian composer Rocca De Rosa's "Malonghi". The best track is saved for last, as Algerian rai superstar Cheb Mami partners with Jamaican reggae scion Ziggy Marley on a propulsive world mix called "Madanite". International fusion can be a dicey proposition, but leave it to Putumayo to bring taste, energy and true musicianship together for this terrific compilation disc."

New, cool, refreshing!

Littlemonk | Albuquerque, NM United States | 11/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Just picked this up. Brand new and very refreshing! A nice blend of cultures and styles. Many collaborations. I think Come With Me is the best song on the album. This album is for the hardcore Putumayo fan! Willie Nelson and Toots & the Maytals??? Are you kidding me? Awesome and amazing! This album works and you can't figure out why... then it hits you - PUTUMAYO!



Also note that on Amazon song listing, #6 should read SNIMBE by Tama featuring Susheela Raman."