Various Artists
International Music: Sony Music Around The World
Sony Music Entertainment

Since this is the last review of the century, I thought I'll review a collection that covers our whole planet - just in case the Y2K bug gets us all.

But unfortunately, this really sucks. There are two-and-a-half hours of music here, 36 cuts from 36 different countries, and Sony managed to pick songs that all sound alike.

International Music is a part of an ambitious 26 discs project called Soundtrack for a Century, which is made up of hundred years worth of music collected from the CBS/Sony Music archives. The other volumes include Pop (in three sections), Broadway, Jazz, Classical, Rock etc. So far so good, but the closer we start looking at what got picked, the sooner the whole enterprise becomes rather dubious. For instance in Pop: Modern Era we get such fluff as Willie Nelson & Julio Iglesias To All the Girls I Loved Before or Neil Diamond's Heartlight. And does Michael Bolton really represent the best of this century? (Uh-oh, no! Neither his hairdo nor his music! - editor's note)

But getting back to "International Music," the whole planet gets reduced to just two styles: Generic Pop and Disco. Sure, sure, there are a few exceptions, but that certainly doesn't warrant a $25 price tag! So here is the scorecard:

SELECTION	REPRESENTING	COMES DOWN TO
Ricky Martin: María	Puerto Rico	Un: La Copa de la Vida Dos: Livin' La Vida Loca Tres: Ricky, ¡basta, por favor!
Shakira:Estoy Aguí	Colombia	Disco
Ricardo Arjona: Ella y El	Guatemala	Generic Latin Pop
J. L. Rodríquez: Poquita Fe	Venezuela	Generic Latin Pop
A. Fernández: Si Tu Supieras	Mexico	Generic Latin Pop
Skank: Garota nacional	Brazil	By default, the winner of this Latin competition
Soledad: A Don Ata	Argentina	Hey, Sony: a translation would be helpful...
Rubén Blades: Eres Mi Cancion	Panama	Hey, Sony: a translation would be helpful...
Elvis Crespo: Suavemente	"U.S. Latin"	Salsa
CoCo Lee: Colours of the World	Taiwan	(Spice Girls Wannabe) Disco
Leon Lai: Love You/Don't	Hong Kong	Disco
T. Kubota: La La Love Song	Japan	Disco
Gigi: Janji	Indonesia	Disco
Liu Huan: Helpless Love	China	Generic "Star Search" Pop
Colonial Cousins: Jaa Re Jaa	India	Disco
Kulay: Burn	Philippines	Disco Funk
Jebedia: Jerks of Attention	Australia	Disco Punk
Bic Runga: Sway	New Zealand	Not only does she understand what she's saying in English, but we finally get someone who can sing, too!

So far, out of 18 different countries each with a unique cultural heritage with its own musical tradition and unique sounds, Sony selected maybe three cuts that are somewhat interesting. Do I smell a rip-off here? But let's finish the deed:

S.O.A.P: Not Like Other Girls	Denmark	(Spice Girls Wannabe) Pop
Anna Vissi: Antidoto	Greece	"Star Search" Pop
Sertab Erener: Lal	Turkey	"Star Search" Pop
Bluvertigo: Altre forma di vita	Italy	"Star Search" Pop
Witt/Heppner: Die Flut	Germany	Generic Pop
Subzonic: Was, Wäri, Wänn	Switzerland	Generic Pop
Sexy Dancers: Some People	Czech Republic	Generic Pop
Mónica Naranjo: Desatame	Spain	Disco
Unique II: Break My Stride	Austria	Disco (Unique? This is a cover, for Chrissake!)
E'velyne: I Would	Netherlands	Generic Pop
Peter Jöback: En Sång Om Oss	Sweden	Different language, same song as above...
Paulo Gonzo: Jardins Proibídos	Portugal	...and the same song again, for the third time!
O.N.A: Kiedy powiem sobie dost	Poland	A different pop ballad
Pascal Obisco: Superflu	France	Generic Pop
Paddy Casey: Whatever Gets You True	Ireland	Pop
54#40: Since When	Canada	Groovy 60's, man!
Sibongile Khumalo: Untold Story	South Africa	Finally, something else!

So if you naively expected to hear international music on International Music, forget about it. You'll get endless American Pop. Considering all of this music already made money for CBS/Sony once, this compilation must be viewed as a money-making venture. It's only disguised as an art preservation project.

Copyright © 1999 Ivan Sever