The latest releases reviewed.

VARIOUS World Circuit Presents World Circuit ****

World music's equivalent of the Blue Note or ECM imprints, World Circuit has enjoyed some spectacular days in the sun during the 20 years it has spent unearthing old roots and new connections from around the globe. For instance, when label boss Nick Gold assembled some senior Cuban musical citizens for the Buena Vista Social Club project in the mid-1990s, he could not have forseen what lay ahead for his label or those musicians. Of late, west Africa has been fertile terrain for the label, providing albums from Orchestra Baobab, the mighty Ali Farka Touré, Toumani Diabaté and Oumou Sangare. Both Cuba and west Africa are well represented on this two-CD collection of World Circuit's hits from the last two decades. What shines brightest throughout, in everything from the timeless shimmy of Chan Chan by the Buena Vistas to the sound of Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Touré finding common currency in the blues on Soukoura, is the label's respect for the musicians and the magic they create. www.worldcircuit.co.uk Jim Carroll