Consumer Guide Album

The Rough Guide to Planet Rock [World Music Network, 2006]
Fearing Sepultura, Junoon, and Gaia knows what other arena-rock gooney birds, I got something more ethnic instead--16 pieces of folk rock, let's call it, from 15 different nations, with who else but the U.S. of A. hogging one and three halves tracks. Gutturals are the sonic determinant and electric guitars the weapon of choice on a collection that amps up all manner of indigenous pleasures, slipping only when it strays to Romance-language Réunion Island and Portugal midway through. Niger? Palestine? Hungary? All Islamic-tinged. As for the Tuvans throat-singing "In a Gadda da Vida," who better? A-