Category:
World

Try if you like:
Gipsy Kings, Manu Dibango, Peter Tosh, Yousou N'dour

Throwing Mick Jagger into a World music compilation is a risky thing to do but I think Putumayo's goal with World Hits is to make enough money to fund many other lower profile compilations. World Hits indeed starts out with a duet between Peter Tosh and Mick Jagger covering the Temptations' "(You Gotta Walk) Don't Look Back", which as a result is a great way to get you into the most diverse collection of worldbeat songs that this label has produced. Why is this diverse? Most of Putumayo's compilations are focused on one part of the world or one genre. This one gathers the most popular world music hits in the past couple decades despite where the music or artist is from. For instance, everyone knows the Gipsy Kings and their hit "Bamboleo". That's the sort of thing that the makers of this comp are trying to do. 

Some are quite as obvious. I didn't recognize the name "7 Seconds" but as soon as I heard the downtempo feel and Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry's voice I realized that I have indeed heard this fantastic collaboration. Senegal's Toure Kunda had a hit with the Afropop gem "E'mma". While not as broad as some of the others on here, Cuban regular Mongo Santamaria recorded a version of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" and it proved succesful. A little more obvious is Santana's version of Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va", another one that is quite easily recognized. Another classic, Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come" from the movie of the same title is included here. 

One I hadn't heard, Manu Dibango's funky as hell "Soul Makossa" is a super fun ride, apparently a crossover hit in 1973. I wasn't familiar with the French hit "Lambada" from Kaoma but had heard Miriam Makeba's "Pata Pata" while working at a music store. And what would be a world music collection without Johnny Clegg and Savuka. Their hit "Scatterlings of Africa" is included. 

So in the vein of 1 Giant Leap (http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/albums/index.php?album_id=1179) we get some honest to goodness World Music hits. This is a great collection that could be used to turn the uninitiated onto the broad genre.