Multi-instrumentalist and composer Prem Joshua is considered to be a pioneer in the field of World Music. I have been reviewing Joshua's innovative synthesis of East and West since the mid-90s, with Tales of a Dancing River, Hamsafar and Desert Visions still among my favorites. I'm delighted to be able to tell you about Taranga, Joshua's latest CD.Taranga, which means "colorful waves of joy and enthusiasm" in Sanskrit, features captivating melodies on the sitar, bamboo flute and soprano sax. Joshua's compositions soar over driving tabla rhythms as ancient Sanskrit and Sufi poems re-awakened in the 21st century. And while Joshua draws inspiration from deep wells of Eastern musical traditions, he's never lost touch with contemporary Western music. Over the years he has continued to distill his amazing talent for fusion, mixing meditative classical Indian ragas with highly intoxicating rhythms, creating music seemingly at home anywhere in the world.Here are but a few of Joshua's many awards: he is now the number one bestselling World Music artist in India. The daily newspaper "The Times of India" has anointed him the new "Guru of Fusion." In 2003, the BBC nominated him for its prestigious "World Music Listeners Award," and in 2007 Joshua ... 

Screenplaying is the latest release from Rock Artist Mark Knopfler, and I can only think of one word to describe this CD... AWESOME!Refreshingly, this was one of those CDs I was able to just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.Rock music fans will recognize some of the well known contributors on the project including Tony Levin and Guy Fletcher plus a few other notables as well.Overall Screenplaying is excellent from beginning to end. One of those CDs that after a few listens the songs are just etched into your memory. A must have for the Rock fan. Really spectacular from beginning to end.While this entire album is outstanding the truly standout tunes are track 3 - Father And Son, track 12 - Guide My Sword, and track 18 - Going Home / Theme Of The Local Hero.My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore is track 1 - Irish Boy. Great track!Screenplaying Release Notes:Mark Knopfler originally released Screenplaying on November 9, 1993 on the Warner Bros. Records label.CD Track List Follows:1. Irish Boy2. Irish Love3. Father And ... 

This past week I was fortunate to check out a new line of toys geared towards toddlers who love hip hop music. The toy is called, "Baby Jamz Music Crew" and will be available at Walm-Mart?. There's even a Baby Jamz music CD available.From what I gather, the creator, Matthew Knowles, was inspired by his grandson, Julez, to create a product line that reflected the interests of today's kids. The music CD contains some old favorites set to hip hop beats and is rather entertaining. In fact, I found my thirteen year old daughter playing the CD while browsing YouTube the other day. There are thirteen songs on the CD:1. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star 2. Wheels On The Bus 3. Hush Little Baby 4. Brahm's Lullaby 5. There Was An Old Lady That Lived In A Shoe 6. Buckle My Shoe 7. Bingo 8. Mary Had A Little Lamb 9. Old MacDonald 10. Skip To My Lou 11. This Old Man 12. Three Little Kittens 13. Mary Mary Quite ContraryThe toys have a great concept: match the bottom of the figurines to the top of the boom box correctly and you hear a 20 second song. The sample I received played, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. There is one drawback, the song only lasts ...