Title: Great for experts, good for beginners
Product review: This book's scope is its strength. Not only do you get chapters on Scotland, Ivory Coast, and Egypt, but also Greenland, Alpine Music, islands in the Indian Ocean, and the Gulf states. Geared more toward the musician or the academic, beginners also can find this valuable. Its weaknesses include the uneveness of the contributions. Some include detailed histories of cultures, others focus on the local scene. Also, some music is determined to be world music in some chapters; in others is not. For example, Greenlandic rap is world music in Greenland, but only French regional music is included here. Also, I noted that music that supported oppressive governments in the Soviet Union and Serbia received only passing mentions. On the whole, I would recommend this book to academics, musicians looking for new sounds, or people trying to learn more about other cultures. (P.S. Please include the publication date in your discographies!)
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