Travel the World with Putumayo

Imagine a National Geographic TV special about recording artists from different cultures. That’s pretty much what we have in Travel the World with Putumayo. More than half of the videos here focus on Africa; Senegalese group Tukuleur’s “Afrika” (which borrows from Toto’s “Africa” to surprisingly good effect), with its wide-open plains marked by baobab trees, is a particular standout. Elsewhere, the Czech Republic’s Vera Bílá and Kale set their jazzy, acoustic guitar-based “Pas O Panori” to images of rustic village life—old men hauling firewood, women hand-washing clothes, etc. The set’s visual stunner is the clip for “Nari Nari,” a dance-pop duet from Egypt’s Hisham Abbas and India’s golden-voiced Jayashree, featuring luscious, colorful clothing and scenic backdrops, including the Taj Mahal.