World Hits

For most fans of what eventually became to be known as world music, developing a taste for the incredibly diverse--to say nothing of complex, thrilling, organic, sophisticated and/or seductive--styles from around the globe occurred gradually, but the vast majority can recall a few tunes that achieved mainstream or college radio airplay, acting as important catalysts, pointing the way toward future explorations. For boomers, it might have been Miriam Makeba's "Pata Pata," a joyous blast of Jo'burg jive, heard here in another but no less enchanting version. Or perhaps it was Manu Dibango's "Soul Makossa," an urbane b-side from a then-unknown Cameroonian bandleader that became an international dance floor sensation. Younger aficionados could cite the Gipsy Kings' "Bamboleo," a flamenco-laced perpetual motion machine that filled nightclubs from Paris to Pittsburgh, or maybe the Senegalese band Touré Kunda's insanely catchy, reggae-inflected "E'mma." Some may even cop to having been momentarily charmed by Kaoma's flagrantly tacky, neo-Brazilian "Lambada" and its appended craze of vertical simulated copulation, often performed by women in short skirts and no underwear. Then there were the western superstar/international icon duets, such as Mick Jagger and Peter Tosh's "Don’t Look Back" or Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'Dour's still-compelling "7 Seconds." All of these and many more appear on this evocative multiple-time-capsule of a disc, bringing back half-forgotten memories in poignant sensory swoops. --Christina Roden