VA - Putumayo Presents - Carnival (2001)

Putumayo Presents Carnival is a rousing collection of world music suited for the purpose of annual street parades, large-scale block parties, and whooping it up in all the festooned finery of Mardi Gras. Only two songs here, Eddie Bo's "I Know You Mardi Gras" and Kermit Ruffins's "Kermit's Second Line," hail from New Orleans. The other eight tracks come from such carnival traditions as the world-famous Brazilian Rio de Janiero throw-down--represented by Martinho Da Vila's "Canta Canta, Minha Gente"--and Cuba's shindig--celebrated here by the Cuarteto Patria, led by guitarist Eliades Ochoa, renowned for his Buena Vista Social Club contribution. Haitian band King Posse turn in one of the most fun performances with "Retounen," a booty-busting blend of reggae, hip-hop, and Haitian compas. With few exceptions, these cuts haven't been released outside their native countries, and as with all Putumayo compilations, Carnival comes with fantastic liner notes detailing both the artists and the carnivals of their homelands. --Paige La Grone