Putumayo has been introducing people to international music and culture since the company was established in 1993. With Nuevo Latino, they've released an exciting collection of Latin music.

The CD features Argentinean tango and Cuban dance music, as well as a French reggae band with a Spanish lead singer and the multicultural London-based Kad Achouri.

The opening track is also my favourite song: Raul Paz, a Cuban singer/songwriter, brings forward "Mulata," a breathtaking song with a cha-cha rhythm. Paz's cool singing is accompanied by a wonderful female voice and a terrific band; it makes you feel like having a nice Cuba Libre while watching one of those beautiful Caribbean sundowns.

Another highlight follows with Los de Abajo from Mexico. "El Indio" is a remarkable remix that fuses samba rhythms with modern musical influences. Federico Aubele's tango "Postales" would be difficult to dance to, but goes very fine with a glass of red wine from Mendoza, somewhere in a bar in Buenos Aires.

But there are also some very interesting European Latin musicians to discover. Jarabe de Palo from Spain plays an excellent mixture of Spanish music and blues. The French band Kana sings "Original," a fusion of reggae music with Spanish rhythms and French influences.

Last but not least I'd like to mention the Columbian alternative rock band Aterciopelados, which joins jazz elements with South American music to create a completely new sound.

Putumayo allows you to dive into the world of South American culture and listen to a few samples of young artists who are going further than the original folk music. This is how they understand the world of today, the world they are living in.