Discover a New World of Music will blow your mind as soon as the first song begins. This selection has no music except the "mouth music," the pops and clicks, of the singers. What harmony! It is easily my favorite track from this CD.

"Im Nin Alu" is a fine solo by Ofra Haza that begins with no music, just a penetrating, throaty, sultry feminine voice with an exceptional vibrato. When she picks up music, it is a combination of East Indian, big band and a percussion mixture from around the world. I closed my eyes and could picture belly dancers and snake charmers moving in synch to the percussion. This is a gorgeous piece.

"Extra Ball" has a Spanish base with a Caribbean flair. The guitar, bass and keyboard are stunning. This moderately paced song will make you want to get up and dance, especially when the bass begins a walking beat.

"Hamam" is weird, eerie and spooky. It is so heavy that it pulls your emotions into a deep, dark abyss. I had to hit the skip button at just over 3 minutes. It might be different if you could understand the words, but I could only base my reaction on the music.

The next selection is a light, happy love song that promises everlasting love, no matter how difficult things get. It lifts the emotions and brightens your mood, taking you past the previous heavy number.

The selections work back and forth between countries and music styles, going from light to heavy and from fun to serious. They are fairly balanced between male and female performers. Some are in English and others are in the native language.

The selections include "Uphi Umhlobo" (Ladysmith Black Mambazo), "Im Nin Alu" (Ofra Haza), Extra Ball (Loketo), "Hamam" (Annabouboula), "Love You Forever" (Nelson), "Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram" (Sheila Chandra), "Za Ayi Neyi" (Les Tetes Brulees), "Neend Koyi" (Najma), "Won't You Please Sing Along" (Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens), "Carrament News" (Gazoline), "Kako Kolo" (Samite), "Awa Ewe Iwoyi" (Ebenezer Obey), "I Already Have a Husband" (Balafon Marimba Ensemble) and "Original Sufferhead" (Fela Anikulapo-Kuti).

This CD contains a nice cross-section of world music. It would be a nice gift for someone that is not familiar with world music. The only problem I have with it is that I would have liked to see a section inside the cover that tells a little about the songs and the artists, at least the country of origin and if it is traditional or contemporary.