His name is synonymous with the indigenous Jamaican off-beat music of reggae, a local genre he took from his beloved island homeland to the world. The first reggae superstar, the dreadlocked, ganja-smoking Marley became a musical ambassador not only for the rhythmic Caribbean music that he helped create, but also for themes of peace, revolution, poverty, spirituality, love, and the Rastafarian philosophy. With his life cruelly cut short by cancer at only 36, Marley entire recording career spanned only 19 years. His greatest hits collection, Legend, is by far the best-selling reggae album of all time, while his 1977 opus, Exodus, was named Album O... read more>>>

A exploration of what "world music" actually means and an introduction to global sounds.

"World music" is an awkward phrase. Used to describe the hugely multifaceted nature of a range of typically non-English-language popular music from the world over, it's a tag that throws up as many problems as it does solutions.

Louise Gray's The No-Nonsense Guide to World Music attempts to go behind the phrase to explore the reasons for the contemporary interest in world music, who listens to it, and why. Through chapters that focus on specific areas of music, such as rembetika, fado, trance music, and new folk,... read more>>>