ARTIST ... Origin
Title  Duration
(Album) [Label]

CLANNAD ....Ireland
Farewell Love 4'41
(Lore) [BMG]

Loreena McKENNITT ....Canada
The Mystic's Dream 7'30
(The Mask and Mirror) [Quinlan Road]

RASHÁ'IDA ....Eritrea
Song at the feast after Ramadan 1'47
(Music in the World of Islam - Human voice / Lutes) [Topic]
With the new moon, today is the feast day.

Hossam RAMZY ....Egypt / UK
(a) Ayousha 5'40
(Gamaal Rawhany - Soulful Beauty) [ARC Music]
Featuring Farouq Mohamed HASSAN on quarter-tone accordian
(b) Mahla Layali El-Amar 5'40
("Khouhail") [ARC Music]
Traditional Saaidi dance music from Upper Egypt
(c) Farid Al Atrash 8'29
(The Best of Farid Al Atrash) [ARC Music]
This tribute to the prolific film star, singer and composer features Mamdouh El Gebaly on the oud, and a great performance it is.

Mohamed GUBARA ....Sudan
Noora 6'05
(Sound of Sudan) [World Circuit]
A political song which talks about Sudan in a totally symbolic way, with a beautiful girl called Noora as the main vehicle.

Baaba MAAL ....Senegal
Yiiri Yalla 5'35
(Taara) [Mélodie]

BHUNDU BOYS ....Zimbabwe
Kachembere 7'18
(Muchiyedza - Out of the Dark) [Cooking Vinyl]
Musical influences from across the border are very evident on this new release.

Andreas VOLLENWEIDER ....Switzerland
(a) Passage to Promise 2'28
Featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo
(b) Manto's Arrow and the Sphinx 2'26
Featuring the vocal acrobatics of Saynkho NAMTCHILAK
(c) Letters to a Young Rose
I would not expect Vollenweider to do other than tune the kora on this piece to a Western temperament. It sounds quite odd and too perfect.
(Book of Roses) [Columbia]

STELLAMARA
Zephyrus 4'35
(Trance Planet compilation) [Triloka]
A very atmospheric piece derived from a 14th century Galician text - A compilation disc worth having.

CLARION FRACTURE ZONE ....Australia
Spice Island 8'37
(Blue Shift) [ABC Music]