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In case you wanted to get some clarity around what a Mexican "ranchera" is. Here's one example from Lila Downs. Of course, it's got some hip hop inflections in the middle of it. But hey. We live in a pomo culture.

A few fans may find Latin roots-pop pioneer Lila Downs' return to old-fashioned, romantic ranchera music to be a retrograde move, but her commanding presence and the astonishing skill and economy with which she embellishes these old-school Mexican ballads with modern rock, electronica and even a tasteful dash of hip-hop will blow your mind, if you give it a close listen. Similarly, she weaves in the rich rhythms of Cuban son and Central American cumbia, reconciling and uniting several strands of Latin American popular music. The repertoire blends striking originals with classics from Jose Alfredo Jimenez, while Downs' dark, husky vocals give more than a mild nod towards the great Mexican diva, Lola Beltran, while Tex-Mex accordionist Flaco Jimenez anchors the album in a solid border vibe. You have to be willing to get into the style (and not everyone is, including plenty of folks who listen to other kinds of Latin American music...) But if you give it a chance, this is a pretty cool album, particularly how it points the way to a canny revitalization and modernization of one of the hemisphere's liveliest and most musically conservative genres. Oh, and Downs' old fans will not be disappointed: she's as authoritative, innovative and charismatic here as on anything she's done.

Listen to his strings (vocal, dan, n'goni, guitar) with his fellow citizens (Salif Keita, Ali Farka Touré, Habib Koïté, Oumou Sangaré, Guerebou Kounkan …) as well as on Mali lovers' artists (hip hop globetrotter Kwal, fiddled pop of Toma Side...

knaan.jpg (JPEG Image, 660x341 pixels) (c) Wired Magazine

When K'Naan Warsame was 11, he found what he thought was a rotten and strangely skewered potato. He pulled out the pin, threw the 'potato' and blew up half his school.

I'm a child of war, an MC and a poet, and I really tried to take people on a journey with that.

"I'm not unique--Somalis are traditionally known for poetry. The ancient Greeks dubbed it the nation of poets."

Go-go is sampled by: Kurtis Blow, Grace Jones, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Run-D.M.C., Salt-N-Pepa, 2 Live Crew, Jay-Z, Jill Scott, Nelly, Justin Timberlake...