BBC DJ Charlie Gillett is your tour guide to world music on the new compilation "Beyond the Horizon." He knows his stuff and he knows how to relay it, though there's no sense of urgency to the sprawling collection.

That must be because it's a world tour.

Gillett, host of the weekly BBC World Service show "A World of Music," brings all manner of sonic adventure aboard "Beyond the Horizon" -- 34 tracks packed onto two discs for a total listening time of more than two-and-a-half hours.

Considering there are few English lyrics on "Beyond the Horizon," the extensive release could prove an endurance test for many listeners. And while Gillett could probably provide endless details about the differences between tracks, those who can't pick out the subtle nuances typifying various world-music instruments and rhythms will likely only hear similarities. It doesn't help that so many tracks stretch beyond the five- and six-minute mark.

Still, Gillett makes the compilation entirely palatable, at least as background music, with a keen sense of tracking whereby one song logically leads to another in a progression that takes the audience on a gradual broad journey.

Some 28 countries are represented here, from Uruguay to Uzbekistan, and Gillett favors acts from Africa and South America. There's also a healthy presence of women performers, and chances are the average American won't recognize a single name in the entire collection.

While the sound tends to have a Third World feel with focus on instruments such as the oud and the kora, "Beyond the Horizon" ventures past all genre restrictions, sweeping through tango, rumba, electronica, jazz, cabaret, burlesque, pop, reggae and hip-hop.

Gillett also features eccentric musicians and charismatic singers who periodically punch through with offbeat charm.

With a collection this exhaustive, Gillett can afford to include a bit of just about everything.

Rating: 3-1/2

-- Chuck Campbell