Putumayo Presents Dream World

We have been fans of Putumayo World Music for a long time now and are still saddened by its founder, Dan Storper’s, passing earlier this summer. Luckily, his vision of highlighting music from around the globe continues with the latest release, Dream World.

Personally, I’ve been a fan, with many albums in my collection, even adding the 2005 Americana to my collection twice. Obviously, it is one of my favorites, but Dream World is now up there. Unlike previous releases that highlight a particular country or musical genre, Dream World focuses on a mood, presenting ten songs that invite the listener to relax, reflect and hopefully end up in a calmer mood.

There are ten songs from ten different countries, and a highlight is the first song “Bealtaine Song” from the Irish band, Lá Lugh. In their native Gaelic, Gerry O’Connor and Eithne Ní Uallacháin sing about the renewing seasons and praise of summer when “… youth and nature joyfully meet.” It’s the kind of song where the listener leans in and hangs on every word even if the words are not understood.

Next is Israeli Orka’s “Sirenita Bobinsana” singing an Ecuadorian song by Arturo Mena about an Amazonian plant spirit. Then “Kooma Kumaro” from Maher Cissoko, a Senegalese-born musician now living in Sweden, playing the instrumental “Kooma Kumaro” on a kora, which is a West African harp-lute, which is the perfect instrument to listen to after a stressful day.

Honestly, all the songs in the collection are wonderful. With musicians from India and Columbia to Croatia and the USA, you can tell careful thought went into the curation. And that’s what I like about Putumayo Presents. They are the friend you need that does all the leg work, and says, “You should check out Linus Orri’s ‘Draumkvæði’ or Mónica Giraldo’s ‘Traigo un canto guardado.’” You may not know what the songs are saying, but that won’t stop you from listening.