Two excellent sampler CD's from Putumayo

Are you tired of the same old popular music? Does the radio always seem to play the same stuff? Are the audiophile recordings in your collection getting tiresome? Is that what's bothering you, Bunky?

Well, if so, and if you'd like to check out some new "world music", then you should explore some of the releases on the Putumayo World Music label. I recently purchased two of their CD's, and found both to have excellent music that is also VERY well recorded. The two releases are:
1. Women of Africa (PUT 223-2)
2. Women of Latin America (PUT 228-2).

I found the "Women of Africa" sampler CD to be my favorite, with its infectious, even joyous, rhythms from South Africa, Cape Verde, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Algeria, and Burundi. One of the cuts is by Sibongile Khumalo, who I think may be married or related to Baghiti Khumalo, the wonderful South African bassist featured on Paul Simon's CD "Graceland". The bassist playing behind Sibongile sounds very much like Baghiti, and the syncopated rhythms make you want to get up and dance. There are a number of featured singers who are well known in Africa, such as Judith Sephuma, Angelique Kidjo, and the group known as Women of Mambozo, which was founded by Nellie Shabalala, the wife of Joseph Shabalala, leader of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. (Nellie was murdered in 2002, and Joseph's brother, Headman, was murdered in 1990 in apartheid-related violence.)

The other CD, Women of Latin America, features a number of fast-rising stars from Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Peru, and Mexico, including: Jacqueline Fuentes (who has a fine voice), Monica Salmaso, Tania Libertad, and Belo Velloso.

There are a number of interesting releases in the Putumayo discography, and I encourage you to explore the ones that particularly interest you. I found the two CD's I have discussed here to be highly enjoyable, and recommend them to anyone who wants to expand their musical horizons.