Putumayo Presents: Music from the Wine Lands (CD - 2006)

Illustrator: Nicola Heindl.

Translator: Julien Massardier.

Lovingly compiled as expected, Putumayo's Music from the Wine Lands collects 13 tracks from the world's premier grape-growing regions and includes extensive liner notes -- in Spanish, French, and English -- that delve into both the artists and the local wines. Putumayo finds a nice balance between budding contemporary artists like Australian jazz/Celtic folk duo Stringmansassy and veterans such as lauded Greek singer Vicky Moscholiou. With a backbone born of bossa nova and samba, "laid-back and breezy" constitutes the overall vibe here, with highlights coming from French singer/songwriter Pauline Croze, Portuguese fado master Jorge Fernando, and Argentinean chameleon Melingo, whose smoky "Sin Luna" sounds like an unholy marriage of Paolo Conte and Tom Zé. ~ James Christopher Monger minimize