Search - Various Artists :: World Music: African

The Putumayo clothing chain had just branched out into the music business when this album was released. The tunes give an accurate overview of where African pop music was then and it wasn't entirely a pretty picture. The studio ruled and overuse of drum machines and synthesizers was commonplace. Reggae was the catchall rhythm, used whenever all else failed or a filler tune was needed in a big hurry. Of course, any compilation from the early '90s must reflect these weaknesses, but there was also a high-spirited club scene where drunken, sweaty, multicultural mobs would dance the night away. This album brings on nostalgia for a time when style overwhelmed substance and unashamed triviality and excess were the fashion. The pendulum has since swung in the direction of organic sounds, played on real instruments. This is obviously an enormous improvement, but why isn't anybody having fun anymore? --Christina Roden