Big Blue Ball, a new compilation album from Real World Records, is a doozie, packed full of diverse world music treats.
It’s the result of week-long musical collaborations in Wiltshire, England, over three summers–with performers gathered from all over our big blue ball. The result is a cream-of-the-world-crop collection. Here are a few (of many) highlights:
–Real World founder Peter Gabriel provides vocals on a few tracks, most memorably so on the first one, “Whole Thing”. An assertive drum beat grounds the track, providing a sense of urgency and a solid base for Gabriel’s compelling voice.
–One of TravelTracks favorite vocalists, Natacha Atlas, is paired with the incomparable Hossam Ramzy and his Egyptian Ensemble on track two, “Habibe”. Her sensuous voice slips and slides over an orchestral arrangement of strings and drums.
–“altus silva,” track four, seems to define international collaboration: American and Irish singers, Frenchmen on the piano, a little Irish flute–all laid over a conga rhythm. The song starts small and grows, adding layers of complexity as it moves along.
–Senegalese percussionist Arona N’diaye gets the juices flowing on the ethereal eighth track, “Forest.” The track is amorphous but fast-moving, like zipping through a rain forest’s misty canopy on a magic carpet.
–Hungarian singer Marta Sebestyen’s voice is captivating on track nine, “Rivers.” The song’s instrumentation is peaceful and still, creating a frame for the vocal centerpiece.