'World 2004': A Global Music Tour

The latest edition of the annual global music anthology from BBC host Charlie Gillett is out, and this time around, the CD-set comes with words of caution printed in the liner notes:

The BBC's Charlie Gillett in the studio.

Rock Paper Scissors

"Warning: the tracks on this album do not all sound the same. There are fast songs and slow ones, dark moods and dance tracks, sung in many languages, hardly any in English."

And Gillett is true to his warning. World 2004 has 34 tracks from 28 countries that range from the traditional — Dona Rosa's Portuguese fado — to the eclectic, like the electronic reggae from Brazil's Fat Marley fronted by Chinese and Indian vocalists. There's also dance music from Hungary, Ukrainian-rooted accordion melodies from Argentina, jazz from Ethiopia and the intriguing Markscheider Kunst, a Russian band with a German name that plays music that sounds like the African tropics.

Host of "Saturday Night" on BBC London and "The Sound of the World" on BBC World Service, Gillett is one of the most influential names on the global music scene. He takes NPR's Michele Norris on a musical world tour.