Sorry lovers, but the position of "love" as the international language has been usurped by music, judging from this sample of music New Zealand and Australian fans will hear at this year's Womad festival.
Though the album doesn't fully reflect the line-up performing at New Plymouth's Bowl of Brooklands, no Buena Vista Social Club for instance, it is a veritable goldmine of diverse sounds from a host of music hotbeds around the globe.
Bombino's Amidinine is a full-throttle opening track, and from there the style and variations have one thing in common -- energy, plus a high performance level.
There's a hint of the 1930s and the potent combination of guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli in Fanfare Ciocarlia, with Adrian Raso and C'est La Vie; Sinead O'Connor impresses, too, as does the primitive sound from Toumani Diabate and Sidki Diabarte. Add in Balkan Beat Box, Ireland's The Gloaming, Public Service Broadcasting, Flavia Coelho and more and you get the picture.
This WOMAD 2015 sampler statement reinforces just how lucky we are to host the smallest version of the international series. Let's make sure it's well attended and enjoy the performance levels that are at their highest, no matter what genre or country is being represented on stage.
