‘Global Lingo’ speaks language of the planet
“GLOBAL LINGO,” various acts (Project Ahimsa)
Something gets lost in translation with “Global Lingo,” but the overall vibe shines through.
The compilation is a benefit for Project Ahimsa, a music-oriented organization that reaches out to disadvantaged children throughout the world. So far the group has helped some 10,000 kids in 14 countries.
“Global Lingo” features some of those who have been helped by the project as well as known artists from around the globe playing a broad stylistic range of music with a spectrum of vocals in a variety of languages (English dominates). Although the songs are clumsily segued together to create a continuous stream of music without breaks between cuts, these tracks still don’t really belong together.
Except, they do. Because despite their differences, these songs are unified in spirit.
So it is that the humble soul of Coco Pelia’s finger-snapping “Any Day Now” belongs alongside the plucky hip-hop of the endearing “Hello Bonjour” by Michael Franti & Spearhead with Sly & Robbie; and Erica Nalani’s folksy “Much to Do” fits as a lead in to the bumping, spoken-word, multi-lingual “Hear It Loud” by Sam Norling and Ching-Hwa featuring Voudux and Mitchy Mitch; and the Punjabi reggae of Funkadesi’s “Dolare” is a suitable follow up to the kids-choir-anchored “El Tiburon del Lago Cocibolca” by the Nicaragua-based Children of Ritmos en los Barrios.
“Global Lingo” occasionally slips into electronica-oriented comas plus a few of the middle cuts have a filler feeling to them. But in general, the disparate songs in this collection glow with humanity.
08/11/09 >> 
