World Playground
This anthology of children-related tracks originates from the globally conscious Putamayo Records catalog. Artists from Africa (Senegal'sTouré Kunda, Congo'sRicardo Lemvo), Europe (France'sManu Chao), the Caribbean (Jamaica'sCedella Marley Booker), North America (Buckwheat ZydecoandEric Bibbfrom the U.S.; Canada's Teresa Doyle), South America (Brazil's Nazaré Pereira), and Australia (Trevor Adamson) offer tracks, and while the styles and moods vary, the album gels excellently. Even if the multicontinent angle strikes you as too catholic, it bears reiterating that this is a "playground" session, a collection that begins with a Senegalese in-line dance and continues through "Mardi Gras Mambo," a bongo-playing French monkey, and much more. And while the songs are playful, there's nothing in the way of tossed-off music. It's all first-rate, with the artists at the top of their games.--Andrew Bartlett