As a music critic and general music snob, compilation CDs were always kind of dangerous ground for me. So the first time I was given a CD from Putumayo World Music, my nose immediately began to rise, but Putumayo has far more to offer than the standard “most relaxing album in the world” fare.
Putumayo has gained a reputation for their socially aware CDs – not only that most of them give a portion of their proceeds to charity, but that the company tries to seek out artists who will not be familiar to those of us in the North American musical climate. This is hardly deep ethnomusicological exploration, great insight into the traditional musical culture, but the Putumayo motto of “Guaranteed to Make You Feel Good” definitely fits with all of their albums, which speak perhaps more to the groove than the mind.
The Caribbean offers a mix of all the wide variety that this region has to offer: Cuban son, Jamaican reggae, Puerto Rican salsa, Dominican meringue, Haiti’s compass, and others. Music of this area shares an irresistible rhythm that comes from the strong African influence throughout the region, and the album leans heavily towards dance styles and tunes. Whether the style is an updated pop-influenced sound like those or acoustic roots based sound, all of the music is about motion – the motion of styles from Africa and elsewhere to settle in these islands, and the motion that the rhythms inspire. Especially in this cold weather, they make you want to move – both your body and to the warm sands of the islands.
Asian Lounge is a totally different kind of album – “a collection of cross-cultural fusions and laid-back beats inspired by the musical traditions of Asia.” I don’t want to value one type of album over the other, but I do feel that it’s important to make clear the difference – The Caribbean is a CD that explores the music of a region, Asian Lounge is essentially international music – inspired by musical traditions, but mixed with pop and electronic beats that have their basis in western traditions but are slowly becoming a world spread musical medium. If you are looking for traditional examples of any of these national styles, this is not the place to go, but with that disclaimer in mind, Asian Lounge does offer a wide variety of new and different soundscapes to explore.
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1 - dyrkness
The Beatles never collaborated with Ravi Shankar.