Baka Beyond's latest release, East to West, is a delicious, vibrant joyride through African and Celtic rhythms and melodies. The fusion of these two variant styles of music, which may look surprising onscreen, is wonderfully exciting to hear. I was shocked to recognize a melody in track 5, "Wandering Spirit," from an old Chieftains record, but there it is, and it is amazing. "Ra-Li-O" will get stuck in your head, no matter how you try to avoid it, and your toes will tap and your head will bob. Expect to feel like dancing around the room and justify people's stares by turning up the volume. East to West is full of life, from the complex percussion to the background vocals sung by the Baka people, and I truly cannot put into words how much I enjoy listening to it.

Baka Beyond is the brainchild of two Britons, Martin Cradick and Su Hart, who have lived on and off with the Baka, a tribe native to the Cameroon-Congo border, since 1991. The first efforts of this globe-spanning collaboration were Spirit of the Forest and Heart of the Forest, albums that brought this culture into the world's view. From the outset, Cradick and Hart have worked to preserve the musical heritage of the Baka people by founding the Global Music Exchange to record endangered music and bring the royalties back to the musicians' communities. In November of 2002, Cradick returned to the area to help build a music house that will bolster the age-old tradition of music. Baka Beyond highlights the amazing results of global collaboration, honoring the Baka adage: "Everyone is to be listened to." Do yourself a favor, and listen to East to West, a true hymn to life.

by Adrin Fisher