Even with three CDs and a little more than three hours of music, this anthology couldn't claim to be an "essential" guide to world music. No compilation could -- it's too big a territory to cover. However, if you approach this as an extensive sampler of a good deal of world music rather than a definitive overview, it does a good enough job of offering a lot of quality material. Each disc covers a specific category, the first CD being dedicated to African performers; the second to South American artists; and the third, less rigidly defined one, titled "When East Meets West," spotlighting tracks that merge different world music styles. A good number of the artists here have high international profiles (Miriam Makeba, Youssou N'Dour, Salif Keita, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Inti-Illimani, Luiz Bonfá, Celia Cruz, Toumani Diabaté, A.R. Rahman, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mouth Music), yet at least as many will be unfamiliar to your average Western world music appreciator. These aren't necessarily the best tracks by these artists, but the package does succeed at putting together a lot of subtle varieties of sounds that fall within the "world music" category, from Afro-beat (Fela drummer Tony Allen) and a cappella singing (Ladysmith Black Mambazo) to bossa nova, tango, salsa, polyphonic chanting, and Bollywood. Such is its eclectic spread, however, that it's perhaps best appreciated by go-with-the-flow consumers who are adventurous listeners but casual collectors. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide