This award-winning CD highlights Caribbean styles such as Jamaican reggae and ska, Trinidadian soca, Puerto Rican bomba, Haitian twoubadou, zouk from Martinique and Guadeloupe, and Louisiana zydeco, featuring steel drums, marimbas, accordions, banjos, maracas, cowbells, whistles, and washboards! Liner notes are in English, Spanish and French with cultural information, colorful artwork, and musical style, song and artist descriptions. The CD is appropriate for all ages, and especially for music education in elementary grades. Lyrics in English (five songs are sung in Spanish or French) for most of the verses of ten of the twelve songs are available through the Putumayo.com website.

I enjoyed ALL the songs on this CD. It has old favorites like "Jamaica Farewell" and "Coconut Woman" (kids of all ages will love the "co-co-nut" refrain in this one, as well as the roaring "lion"!), in addition to a zydeco version of Bob Marley's classic "Three Little Birds." Kids will also love "Little Anancy," as many are familiar with Anancy/Ananse spider stories from school. And even though I could not understand much of "Bomba Te Traigo Yo" (sung in Spanish) or "Votez Zouk" (sung in French), the addictive beats of bomba and zouk respectively had me dancing around the room! You too will be glad that this CD "brings you bomba" and makes you want to "vote for zouk!" ( )

1. All aboard / Atlantik; 2. Votez zouk / Luc Leandry; 3. Jamaica Farewell / Desmond Dekker; 4. Salutations / Erna Letemps; 5. Little Anancy / Asheba; 6. Great Big Boat / Taj Mahal & The Hula Blues; 7. Three Little Birds / Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band; 8. Malanga ska / Ska Cubano; 9. Reggae dancin' / MissionIriez; 10. Pa 'Pipe sou Do M' / Lole-Lolay; 11. Train is Coming / Kingston Ladies.