i just recently bought a few more "worldy" albums (and this thread needed another bump):
Natacha Atlas - Mish Ma'oul
listen to the album here: Mish Ma'oul
info:
One of the original global pop divas, Natacha Atlas has long combined Middle Eastern and Western musics. Her sixth solo album is very much a continuation of works past. She continues to maintain links with her old band (Transglobal Underground's Count Dubulah produces), and she continues to add traditional and modern influences as need be. One particular standout moment is Atlas's sensual performance as she rides a straight-up bossa nova groove on "Gnanwa Bossanova," but equally strong is the slightly cheesy "Bathaddak," which sounds like it could be piped out of a cassette stall in a North African casbah. Those looking for her cosmopolitan trip-hop vibe certain will be satisfied with opener "Oully" or the menacing-sounding "Hayati Inta." No matter the genre, however, the singer really sounds best in the stripped-down arrangements here where it's her voice that exudes nuance and mood instead of counting on the accompaniment to fill in those blanks. --Tad Hendrickson
Apollo Nove - Res Inexplicata Volans
listen to the album here: Res Inexplicata Volans
info:
Even though it's immensely likable, there's a demo-ish quality to hotshot Brazilian producer Apollo Nove's Res Inexplicata Volans. In 12 tracks that trickle through nostalgia-tipped tropicalia to a backward-reaching brand of electronica, he paints himself as something of a sound savant; trot out a hot beat or an expressive voice, he seems to be saying, and step aside--he'll do the rest. It's a ****-sure approach, but it mostly pays off. Though not radically new or groundbreaking, the sonic textures he dabbles in (vintage rock, bossa nova, disco, jazz) are nothing if not interesting, and they lend this disc a chilled-out moodiness that seems rightest in the pre-dawn hours. Singer Seu Jorge's two tracks, the all-out gorgeous "Ensaboar Voce (Soap You)" and "Capoeira," captivate most completely--if there's a love letter to Sao Paulo somewhere on this record, he's the one holding the pen--but overall the vibe is fluttery, uncemented. Put it on and plug in your headphones--as you get lost in late-night Apollo Nove land, you'll want to wander and ponder alone. --Tammy La Gorce
Product Description
How do you describe someone as eclectic as Apollo Nove? A modern-day pop Tropicalista, crooner, songwriter, pianist and collector of over sixty vintage synths, keyboards and effects from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Apollo Nove (noh-veh) is the prime contender for most innovative young producer in Brazil. Res Inexplicata Volans is his stellar solo effort of twelve melodious, deep, moody songs that hover somewhere between psychedelic rock, eerie electronica and spacey folk. Recorded in São Paulo and mixed in Paris by Air engineer Yann Arnaud. Guest vocalists include Cibelle and Seu Jorge.
Cibelle - The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves
listen to the album here: The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves
info:
Since her breakout performance on Suba's landmark Sao Paolo Confessions, singer Cibelle (pronounced see-Bell-ee) has enchanted Brazilian pop aficionados with her lovely musical purr. Here on her second album, the cool lounge production of her debut is pushed into a darker, more experimental realm without losing her music's sensual beauty. As ambitious as the production, the songwriting is challenging too with highlights like "Phoenix" and "Flying High" using a linear style rather than the back and forth of a verse, bridge and chorus arrangement. There's a couple of interesting covers as well--while her spare version of Tom Waits's "Green Grass" is a seemingly offbeat choice, her haunting, glitchy and near-unrecognizable cover of Jobim's "Por Toda A Minha Vida" is a different kind of surprise. With ultra-cool Apollo Nove and Tunng in the producers' chair, this subtle kind of sonic and music revision is to be expected, but it's a tribute to the singer that she keeps the challenging sound under the sway of her lovely voice. --Tad Hendrickson
Product Description
Like no one else, Brazilian born Cibelle makes use of a variety of elements to create unique, imaginative and enchanting peices of music. Her second album (the follow-up to 2003's inspired eponymous debut) is a genuine masterpiece. Moving into even more adventurous sonic terrain than its predecesor, the "Shine Of Dried Electric Leaves" combines rootsy acoustic instrumentation, electronic processing, noise guitars & children's toys, captivating textural soundscapes & pure melodies all anchored by Cibelle's unmistakable, moving voice. Cibelle produced this album over a period of 18 months, taking some of the tracks with her from London (where she now resides) to Sao Paulo (her home town) and back, gathering along the way contributions from various co-producers and performers, including Mike Lindsay (from UK Folktronica act Tunng);Apollo Nove (the innovative producer/artist from Sao Paulo, who produced most of her debut album); Parisian mixer, Yann Arnaud (Air, ! Sebastien Schuller), and guests such as Seu Jorge (of "City of God" and "The Life Aquatic' fame), freak folk pioneer, Devendra Banhart, and CocoRosie collaborator Spleen. While some of the album's ten original compositions and three covers are simple, limpid crytalline gems (her renditions of Tom Waits' "Green Grass" and of Jobim's "Por Toda Minha Vida" to name but a few).
Bombay Dub Orchestra - Bombay Dub Orchestra
listen to the album here: Bombay Dub Orchestra
info:
The Bombay Dub Orchestra delivers on the promise of its name. Here, London studio insiders Andrew T. MacKay and Garry Hughes have devised a dream-like new project where Lee Scratch Perry seemingly spent his time in India doing Bollywood film soundtracks instead of psychedelic Jamaican dub jams. With a world of experience between the two primaries (Bjork, ABC, Sly & Robbie, Vast), the duo's skillful integration of these seemingly divergent sources is seamless. A full orchestra, live soloist, and a rich production aesthetic are tastefully complemented by sexy trip-hop programming that recalls Zero 7 and other top-flight groups. The two-disc set includes a 12-song disc and an eight-song set of remixes on a second disc. The remixes are longer with slightly different assemblages of pieces, but aren't much weirder, just different. Highlights among the often pun-filled titles include the cinematic "Dust" and "The Berber Of Seville" as well as the atmospheric "Rare Earth: The Forest Of Thieves Mix." *-- Tad Hendrickson
Product Description
The Bombay Dub Orchestra is the brainchild of two English musicians, Andrew Mackay and Garry Hughes, who wanted to do something that hadn't been tried before: to make the ultimate chill-out album, using a real orchestra. It all began when Mackay and Hughes went to Bombay some seven years ago to record some of that city's top session players for a project by the LA group Spellbound. "I produced and Andy arranged," Hughes recalls. "It was a fantastic experinece recording these guys, and on the plane coming home we thought how great it would be to make an orchestral chill-out record with these players." Over a period of nearly a year, Mackay and Highes worked out the intricate, almost cinematic arrangements with digital samples. They ended up with a pretty fair approximation of what their Bombay Dub Orchestra would sound like. But there was no chance that the two producers would be satisfied with that. "I love samples and use them a lot" Highes says, "but some things you have to do with real players." In March 2005, Mackay and Hughes finally traveled to Bombay, India and began what must rank as one of the most unique orchestral recording sessions ever. "During that week, we recorded a 28 piece string section on 10 different tracks. We generally overdubbed the orchestra several times to achieve the multi-layored arrangements that we were aiming for." In addition to the orchestra, the pair also recorded the cream of Bombay's Indian classical musicians - including leading players of the sitar, tabla, bansuri and some memorable vocal performances. This specially priced double CD also includes a second disc of "dub remixes" which takes the music into even more exotic sonic territories.
Karsh Kale - Broken English
listen to the album here: Broken English
info:
Born in London, raised in New York City, and of Indian descent, Karsh Kale's life has always been a mix of cultures, so it should come as no surprise that his music reflects that. His debut, Realize, quickly proved that he could mix it up gracefully and organically with the best of them. Here, on his third proper studio album (there've also been countless remixes, collections and collective projects), Kale's self-proclaimed brand of "rocktronic-organica" brings together such guests as Ekova's Dierdre, Midival Punditz, Crystal Method, and rapper MC Napolean. Whereas electronica and hip-hop are commonly integrated into Indian music (or vice versa), Kale also offers up intriguing touches of indie rock on "Dancing At Sunset" and the ballad "City Lights"--the latter isn't as compelling as the former, but Kale still gets points for originality. Other highlights include the dreamy "Drive" and the hard-driving electronica of "Hole In The Sky." Truly music with a modern multi-culti reach, nothing on Broken English is lost in translation. --Tad Hendrickson
Product Description
On Broken English, Karsh balances his Indian heritage with rock and roll, hip-hop and atmospheric pop for this most diverse release to date. Kale works with a talented cast of collaborators including MC Napolean Solo, vocalists Trixie Reiss (the Crystal Method), Sophie Michalitsianos (Sparklehorse), Diedre (Ekova), Vishal Vaid and award winning Bollywood film composer Salim Merchant
check them out good stuff, but cibelle, natacha atlas are my favorites and i love karsh as well, he's also apart of Tabla Beat Science with Bill Laswell, Zakir Hussain etc
You might also enjoy Nilufer, who has had an equally long and succesful career. On the guys, Mustafa Sandal is really great, retaining more eastern sounds in his pop than Tarkan for my taste. 
