The Rough Guide to Undiscovered World

There's plenty of fascinating material on this compilation of otherwise unreleased tracks, much of it giving a first Western airing to some artists. Amadou Diagne has started to make a global name for himself, but the soft, sweet "Senegal" can only add to his reputation. Mosaic mine Warsaw Village Band territory on the dark "Druhny," and "Sigh of the Moor" from Jadid Ensemble brings interesting Maghrebi colors, although the melody is at times disconcertingly close to "Those Were the Days." Some of the most interesting cuts are completely out of left field, like the offering from Suaramantra, a kind of Indonesia prog rock based on legends from the archipelago, and Monoswezi's mix of Scandi-jazz with Mozambique, which works far better than anyone might believe. But the best of all has to be the unusual Chlopcy Kontra Basia from Poland, whose work has an otherworldly dimension that sets it apart: world music from another galaxy, enough to make one want more. Inexpensive and adventurous, this is exactly what a good sampler should be. ~ Chris Nickson|