A Mediterranean Odyssey: Athens To Andalucia

Reveling in the richly textured tapestry of Mediterranean culture, Athens to Andalucia is a welcome addition to Putumayo's Odyssey series, bringing a healthy smorgasbord of music--"the quintessential world traveler"--to the hungry listener. As the liner notes reveal, this compilation, gathering some of the most outstanding sounds from Spain, France, Italy, and Greece barely scratches the surface of what Mediterranean flavor has to offer. Yet the varied and distinct influences of wandering Gypsy, Arab, and Jew all make their presence known along with traditional folk elements of Celtic, Spanish, and Eastern European descent. Particularly bewitching is Barrio Chino's "Saudade," a remarkably exotic synergy of sweet melody, spicy Afro-Cuban drumming, aggressively sensual Gypsy rumba guitar, and wobbly accordion, all of which conjures up images of the dance of the snake charmer and the organ grinder with a barrel full of monkeys tossed in for good measure. --Paige La Grone