Search - Various Artists :: Roots

To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Folk Roots Magazine, editor Ian Anderson has compiled two double albums of roots music. This one, "Roots", concentrates on Britain, Ireland and North America, while companion volume "Routes" covers the rest of the world. It is sort of a "best of the roots music of the last twenty years" if not a definitive collection obviously - how could it be with so much to chose from, limited space, personal preferences and the inevitable licensing difficulties. What you do get is a first-rate selection of music spanning a wide range of styles and traditions, in ancient as well as modern guises. What you don't get is a selection of easily digestible material aiming to please the casual buyer. These then are collections for broad-minded people who are glad to be reminded of long-forgotten musical highlights and will discover a few new ones at the same time. There are plenty of big names of course - just about everyone you would expect to find, plus a few lesser-known performers as well. The selections are expertly sequenced, so they work well as albums despite mixing very different musical styles. They present a first-rate selection from the musical traditions of our planet. What is more, like all Nascente releases, they offer excellent value for money - please note the generous playing times!). The ideal present to give to people with open minds or a recently-discovered liking of world music, but also a well-worth buy for those who have liked it for a long time, but don't have huge CD collections. -FolkWorld