Blues Around the World Holds the Key to Global Peace

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Attempting to uncover that one moment that was the point at which the blues began is akin to defining the origin of the universe--it can't be done. Once you think you've finally nailed the answer, "but where did that come from?" becomes the immediate question, and once that question is answered, another question arises, and so on, until you fall back on faith, or go stark raving mad.

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The blues is one of those great mysteries that simply "always has been." Sure, as a recorded genre, it can be traced back to the 1920's American south, pioneered most notably by Robert Johnson and a few others, but its roots go far deeper than that. The blues is a universal voice that was born at the same time whatever evolved into the human spirit was born--it's an inherent part of our genetic makeup, indifferent to primordial migratory paths and the rise and fall of empires.

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The Putumayo compilation Blues Around The World eloquently illustrates this point in an album that encapsulates the universality of the blues. From Chicago to Zanzibar, the blues imprint has left its mark across the globe, as evidenced in these eleven songs by musicians ranging from Bonnie Raitt to Long-ge. Throughout it all, a sense of spritual triumph and celebration permeates the music, regardless of its origins.

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There are collaborations here that literally span the globe, and if some seem unlikely, they only serve to augment the appeal of the genre. Urban blues legend Taj Mahal teams with the Culture Musical Club of Zanzibar for a sultry, Arabic-infused rendition of the Mississippi-born classic "Catfish Blues." The band Unseen Guest provides a seamless fusion between Western and Eastern musical influences, specifically, Irish and Indian, with the easy, pulsating beat of "Listen My Son." Habib Koite of Mali provides a perfect counterpoint to Bonnie Raitt's slide guitar with his open plucking style.

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It is in the diversity of the individual performers represented here, however, that Blues Around the World shines most brightly. Artists from Brazil (Blues Etilicos) , the Sahara (Amar Sundy), Taiwan (Long-ge) and Spain (Jarabe De Palo) all offer a unique interpretation of what the blues mean to them individually, and by extension, to the global community. More importantly, perhaps, is that in these performances, we are compelled to recognize the unifying threads that bind us together as humans.

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If music is the universal language, then the blues is the dialect most widely spoken. All of the songs here attest to the common hopes and fears, loves and loathings we all share, regardless of the particular locale in which we live. The idiom that is the blues resides deeply in our collective unconsciousness, holding a promise of hope in moments of despair. The blues, at its essence, reminds us that no matter how bad things may be, they can only get better.

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Blues Around theWorld is that rarest of compilation albums-- a collection made all the more relevant by current events. Its message, unintentional though it may be, is we have more in common than we care to admit.