World Circuit Presents

Disc 1
1	Chan Chan / Buena Vista Social Club 4:19
2	Soukora / Ry Cooder 6:02
3	Boul di Tagale / Cheikh Lô 6:10
4	Rumba Argelina / Radio Tarifa 3:31
5	Rire Zarga Ouana / Bellemou Messaoud 5:37
6	Amor Verdadero / Afro-Cuban All Stars 6:37
7	Al Vaivén Mi Carreta / Ńico Saquito 5:58
8	Mogo Te Diya Bee Ye / Oumou Sangare 4:08
9	Tumbanga / Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez 4:26
10	Yumala / Mustapha Baqbou previously unreleased 8:03
11	El Rincón Caliente / Guajiro Mirabal 4:47
12	Bazali Bhetu / Black Umfolosi 3:41
13	Flor de Amor / Omara Portuondo 3:04
14	Mal Wa Ihtagab / Abdel Gadir Salim 4:11
Disc 2
1	Tapha Niang / Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra 6:53
2	El Carretero / Guillermo Portabales 3:09
3	Song, Pt. 4 / Dimi Mint Abba previously unreleased 4:03
4	Juana Peńa / Sierra Maestra 4:02
5	El Son Te Llama / Orchestra Baobab 5:25
6	Central Constancia / Rubén González 5:55
7	Si Te Contará / Rubén González 1:28
8	Amandrai / Ali Farka Touré Live / previously unreleased 8:01
9	A Love Supreme / Angá Diaz 5:52
10	Dr Binol / Shirati Jazz 5:24
11	Candela / Buena Vista Social Club Live / previously unreleased 6:22
12	Fafaye Yo / Afel Bocoum previously unreleased 5:16
13	La Luna en Tu Mirada / Los Zafiros 2:37
14	Du Du / Toumani Diabaté previously unreleased 4:53
15	Silencio / Ibrahim Ferrer 4:39

Barnes & Noble

Known to American world music audiences as the label behind the Buena Vista Social Club and Ali Farka Touré, the U.K.'s World Circuit would have an enviable track record even without those superstars. Overseen by producers Nick Gold and Jerry Boys, the label has a sound that's unmistakable: exotic, organic, dusky, and real. It's no accident that they stumbled across talents like the oldsters of BVSC and Ali Farka -- both fit neatly into the World Circuit demo, alongside the raw Malian vocalizing of Oumou Sangaré, the rustic Cuban guajiras of Guillermo Portabales, and the romantic Spanish-Arabic fusion of Radio Tarifa. Funk, the dirty, gritty kind, is a World Circuit specialty, and they extract it from the mother lodes: Dimi Mint Abba, the sorceress of Mauritania; Senegal's Chiekh Lo, the Jackie Wilson of West Africa; Orchestra Baobab, the very root of Afro-Latin soul music, and on and on. But there's a jazz-fueled experimental edge at which Boys and Gold excel as well, typified by the incredible "Tapha Niang" from Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra, as well as the far-reaching work of BVSC bassist Cachaíto Lopez. Fans of the label couldn't pick more representative performances, and hearing them tracked together on this two-CD set is not only the perfect introduction, but a damn-near perfect sonic experience. Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

In 2006 World Circuit released a sampler celebrating its 20th anniversary. Apparently, it worked because World Circuit Presents is another overview of the astonishing array of artists it brings to the general public. We in the United States benefit because its production and distribution deal is with Nonesuch, a label that is part of the Warner-Elektra-Atlantic family and was with Ryko before that. This double-disc is an excellent way for the listener -- novice or connoisseur -- to get saturated in some of the best music the world has to offer. World Circuit brought Yankees the Buena Vista Social Club and all of its stars, from Ibrahim Ferrer and Rubén González to Compay Segundo (all of whom have since passed away) and Omara Portuondo. They brought us offerings from Radio Tarifa and Sierra Maestra and Oumou Sangare, as well as amazing reissues by the Cuban electric guitar doo wop group Los Zafiros and the truly exotic Orchestra Baobab, as well as the griot master Toumani Diabaté. They offer a cut from Ry Cooder and the late Ali Farka Touré, as well as jazz from Anga Diaz covering John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," with a completely different take on the tune. These are only a few of the offerings on this treasure trove compiled by label boss Nick Gold, which is sold at a budget price and whose handsome booklet is packed with information. This is one of those sets that can be played almost anytime and offers a glimpse into the magical sounds that are created daily outside America's borderline -- and narrow -- vision of itself and its culture. Thom Jurek