Putumayo Presents: Latin Playground

1	Guantanamera / Omara Portuondo 3:37
2	La Araña Picua (The Picua Spider) / Los 50 de Joselito 3:00
3	Lluvia de Estrellas (Rain of Stars) / Terri Hendrix 3:08
4	Mardi Gras Mambo / ¡Cubanismo! 4:13
5	Hanal Weech / Lila Downs 2:41
6	Rodopiou (She Twirled) / Nazare Pereira 3:17
7	Bomba le Le / Banda Criolla 4:23
8	Chocolate / Koral Y Esmeralda 3:19
9	De Bolón Pin Pon (Right Away) / Flaco Jiménez 2:51
10	Yo Quiero (I Want) / Ruben Rada 1:39
11	America Baila (America Dances) / Chevere 4:04

Barnes & Noble

The rhythm is gonna get you! This disc invites kids to explore the music of Latin America, where drums and dancing feet are the only necessities for a good time. Latin Playground presents some of the most distinguished performers from Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, and nearby regions. Buena Vista Social Club chanteuse Omara Portuondo gets the party started with the popular "Guantanamera," while Cubanismo blend the sounds of mambo and New Orleans R&B on their Latin version of the classic "Mardi Gras Mambo." Songs range from the silly -- Lila Downs's "Hanal Weech" tells a Mexican Indian story of a man who thinks his girlfriend smells like an armadillo -- to the sincere, such as Uruguayan poet Ruben Rada's "Yo Quiero," which expresses the hope for love, fun, and freedom for children around the world. Rudy Regalado & Chevere tie up this stellar collection with the outstanding "America Baila," an upbeat paean to hope and unity that incorporates Brazilian samba and Caribbean soca. Latin Playground also includes informative liner notes, presented in both English and Spanish, detailing each song's origin and style. This lively, bilingual disc will brighten any playroom with warm Latin sounds and positive themes. Amy Barkat

All Music Guide

One of the earlier additions to Putumayo's children's line, Latin Playground alternates between catering to children through music specifically for them and enriching the album with works that happen to be playful but were not necessarily made with children in mind. While this one is a little less adult-friendly than some of the others in the line, it still has enough variety to last for a good series of inevitable replays at the hands of kids. The album runs around the Latin spectrum quite well, taking in Mayan-language music from Lila Downs as easily as Flaco Jimenez's brand of Tejano. American folk with a mild Mexican influence is here, as is some forro from Nazare Pereira. The breadth of styles is quite something, and though the explorations are not particularly deep, that is certainly not a major detraction for a kids' album. Some of the other albums in the Putumayo kids' line may have a little more depth, but this one isn't bad at all, and can draw from the label's considerable expertise in Latin music at the same time. Adam Greenberg