Around the World

Album Review

Deftly topping himself with virtually every full-length adventure, Señor Coconut has moved his Latin-goes-dance party from Kraftwerk to FM radio to Yello with a high-concept humor that sparkles even while it's opening ears to the wonder and variety of Latin music (not to mention electronica). Around the World, his fifth studio jaunt, also comes complete with a model, this time focusing not on a single artist but on the world of music (i.e., 11 songs, each from a different country). Given the variety of Uwe Schmidt's influences and affinities, filling this record is no problem, even if he cheats just a bit by grabbing synth pop nuggets from all across Europe — the countries of England, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and Denmark giving listeners, respectively, Eurythmics, Trio, Yello, Telex, and Laid Back. Added to these are a few Latin standards and Daft Punk's "Around the World" to unify the record, plus a Schmidt original titled "La Vida Es Llena de Cables" (representing Chile). Schmidt proved long ago that Señor Coconut wasn't just a one-album wonder, inviting a host of excellent producers and solid players to join the festival for the Yello tribute, but Around the World is a smaller affair; although it features a long list of musician credits, there's no one else here with the production and programming expertise to match the mighty Schmidt, and subsequently, this feels less innovative and more, well, traditional. [This version includes a pair of bonus tracks, the full version of "Dreams Are My Reality" and an Atom Heart remix of exotica pioneer Les Baxter's "Voodoo Dreams."]