The world is a big place, and world music can be very overwhelming for those who aren't sure where to start. Find basic information here to help you on your exploration.
World Music is often dismissed as simply not cool enough, fun enough, or glamorous enough for average people to listen to. We world music listeners, however, know better than that! Let's bust some of these world music myths!
How would you define "world music?" What does that phrase, as a genre name, encompass in your mind?
2008 was a great year for world music, with a lot of amazing CDs coming from countries who are always top producers (Mali, France, India, etc.), and some great representation from countries we don't hear nearly enough of (Haiti and Belize, for example). It also happened to be an especially good year for the ladies, with powerful female-led groups and solo artists popping up around the globe. It…
In the months preceding the
2008 U.S. Presidential Elections,
Barack Obama has become something of a phenomenon in the international community. From Jamaica to Africa, as well as throughout the United States, songs about Barack Obama have been emerging. These are s…
World music fans have, in my completely unscientific estimation, larger record and CD collections than anyone other than jazz aficionados (or even worse - fans of world music
and jazz), and because the average world music fan has extremely broad taste, those records can be extremely difficult to organize. Additionally, most world music fans that I know absolutely refuse to get rid of thei…
It should be no surprise that Mothers are one of the most popular subjects for songwriters around the world. From folk songs to modern songs, here's a playlist about Moms, by artists from around the world.
World music fans often find themselves in a bit of a jam when they're planning the music for their wedding - they want to express their unique taste in music, but also want to keep the music sweet and romantic. These ten songs will surely add a touch of romance, as well as some fabulous global flavor, to your wedding.
Instead of giving the same old gifts you always give, try these world music gift alternatives. Give CDs instead of candles, better magazine subscriptions, and more.
We all have a few people in our lives who qualify as impossible to shop for. They either have everything, have insanely picky taste, or are just generally enigmatic. Some of these world music gifts might do the trick for them, though. CD recommendations, book recommendations and more for the hard to shop for people in your life.
Are you going to snap if you have to hear "Jingle Bell Rock" one more time? Yeah, me too. Luckily, there are dozens of fabulous world music artists who have released Christmas albums that are completely different from any of the standard fare.
Tired of the same old children's music albums? Check out some of these unique world music albums that are either made for children or are appropriate for children. Expose your kids to new cultures with world music!
What exactly does the phrase "world music" mean?
World Music fans are all hippies. World Music isn't sexy. World Music is weird and hard to listen to. World Music is all in foreign languages. Sound familiar? Time to debunk world music myths!
World Beat is a name given to genre-bending world music by corporate executives.
Where should one begin looking when starting to delve into the mighty genre that is world music?
It can be hard to tell what the differences are between World Music, Folk Music, Latin Music, Jazz and Blues.
