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CD Review
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The Daily Telegraph (London), CD Review >>
Veteran DJ and writer Charlie Gillett's enthusiasms have shaped and mirrored the British world music scene to such an extent that it could be argued that whatever Gillett likes is the mainstream.
This year's addition to his series of double-CD compilations strikes a balance between quirkily futuristic fusion and luxuriant acoustic sounds with a strong bias towards powerful femininity. The fantastic Portuguese fado discovery Dona Rosa stands out in the latter category.
At times, Gillett's openness to a certain kind of whimsical experimentation renders several tracks - notably Amorf Ordogok's Hungarian world-lite dance fusion - gratingly obsolescent. But he has a canny instinct for what the novice listener will pick up on, as well as a passionate belief in everything he plays, and it's difficult to imagine anyone remaining unmoved through dreamlike transitions such as the one between Abyssinia Infinite's ethereal Ethiopian jazz and Lo' jo's unclassifiable acoustic fusion. If you need someone to hold your hand through the tangled webs of world music, you couldn't hope for a better guide.
06/19/04
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