“wonders_of_the”
Wonders of the African World
Music from the Documentary
PBS / Warner
There are twelve tracks here, four of them being incidental music used in the PBS documentary series from which this was taken. The soundtrack portion of the disc is good enough, a nicely synthesized package of African sounds and influences, if occasionally a bit too new-agey for my tastes. The balance however provides a dizzying tour of the continent, ranging from the tropical sounds of the West, the undulating rhythms of the South, the keening Arabic overtones of the North, and the equally unique sounds of other places in between.
Wonders of the African World is a good musical safari; if I have any complaints it’s the sparseness of the liner notes, which do little beyond provide credit and a geographical origin, a truly missed opportunity for a soundtrack purporting to be from a documentary. Still, the music is well-worth it.
