Customer Reviews

Another World Is Possible

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While the music and politics included on this compilation aren't completely unrelated, the music does stand on its own and is enjoyable regardless of one's politics. The included tracks range from merely OK to outstanding, with enough of the latter to make this CD worth a buy.

In particular, The No Smoking Orchestra's cover of "Lost in the Supermarket" is a truly fresh take on one of my favorite songs. (It's also more interesting than most of their original work.) Asian Dub Foundation & Zebda also provide an enjoyable cover of "Police on My Back", making this compilation a must-hear for fans of The Clash. Among the remainder of the tracks, there were some I enjoyed and some that I found uninteresting, but none that made me hit the skip button in disgust.

In the end, this compilation may be a poor argument against "globalization": it seems unlikely that we could enjoy a CD like this, with diverse artists from around the world, were it not for the spread of markets and technology to every corner of the globe. At the same time, in defying the homogenization that often accompanies globalization, perhaps the included artists have demonstrated in their small way that "another world is possible".

As a document of the alternative globalization movement, this CD/mini-book presents a well put-together statement of purpose.

From a purely musical standpoint, it falters somewhat. The emphasis is rightly on third world artists -- but nearly all of them possess some level of first world cachet. Far more fascinating than performers already caught up in the western machinery would be an exploration of the talent that finance-driven globalization marginalizes -- the street musicians and subsistence entertainers.

The thought, I'm convinced, was that bigger names like Lee Perry and Femi Kuti would draw needed attention to the cause. The miscalculation is the notion that selling westerners what amounts to a feel-good CD does anything for an anti-globalization movement.

The essays contained in the costly packaging are the crucial part of this release...the CD is merely a nice value add-on with some enjoyable music -- some of which even tackles global issues.