Desert Blues 2 CD - Import

Some compilations remind you why the compilation can be a valid art form, and this is one of them. The successor to the successful Desert Blues operates around a very simple principle -- the music of the areas surrounding the Sahara -- but does it so well, illustrating the interchange and development of musical cultures. So, alongside the Algerian sounds of Cheb Mami and Hasna el Bacharia, listeners work through Morocco and Majid Bekkas, whose Gnawa music has its root in slaves imported from West Africa centuries ago. The Tuareg, nomads who wander the desert and its fringes, have their own music and their own way of making it -- "Dios Mio!" uses feet on a carpet as percussion. Mali exists at the edge of the Sahara, and its loneliness has influenced several artists, like Lobi Traoré and Boubacar Traoré (no relation). While there's no Ali Farka Toure here (the epitome of the desert blues), there's plenty of wonderful music, be it the instrumental meeting of American guitarist Bob Brozman and Guinean kora wiz Djeli Moussa Diawara or the duet of Youssou N'Dour and the revered Yande Codou Sene that closes the second disc. A fair number of these artists will be familiar to world music aficionados, but there are some excellent discoveries in here. But what sets this apart -- beyond the high quality of music throughout -- is the way it's sequenced. It's a journey, one you take from your own home, and when you're done with the two discs, you truly feel as if you've experienced one of the loneliest and most magical places on earth. As usual, Network offers excellent liner notes. All in all, this just can't be beaten. ~ Chris Nickson