With all the nominees and winners of the BBC Radio World Music Awards for 2005, this double set offers a pretty comprehensive look at the state of world music in 2005. There are a few big names -- Youssou N'Dour, Khaled, and even Björk -- but the majority are nowhere near as famous. That, however, doesn't mean the music's of a lower quality. Tinariwen lead it off with state of the art Malian desert blues, and from there it's a trip around the globe, with plenty of pleasant surprises, like the Cuba-meets-flamenco fusion of Bebo & Cigala (winners of the Boundary Crossing Award), Clotaire K's French-Lebanese hip-hop (Club Global winner), and Chango Spasiuk's incredibly fluid accordion in the obscure Argentinean chamamé style (Best Newcomer). But all the nominees, not just the winners, are outstanding. The Chehade Brothers, from Palestine, offer some wonderfully sun-baked music on "Al Nashal," and Andrew Cronshaw's "Sofia, the Saracen's Daughter," or at least an edit of it, is a marvelous take on the old ballad "Lord Bateman," refracted through a multicultural prism. Amparanoia will please fans of Manu Chao, and Enzo Avitabile connects the dots across the Mediterranean between Southern Italy and North Africa. It's a satisfying set that really does capture much of the breadth and depth of the current scene, and, to quote a cliché, everyone's a winner. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide