DUD OF THE MONTH

Various Artists
"Latin Reggae"
(Putumayo World Music)

Really, I wasn't expecting reggaeton, just maybe the deep thrum of Bristol Brooklyn Bridge on Rough Guide's Latin funk comp. What I got was Barcelona, the whitest hotbed of internationalism on the planet. Six of 11 tracks hail from that paradise, and whatever the artists' political bona fides -- said to be legion, including a tithe or something to combat poverty in Latin America (tricky term, that "Latin") -- they could pick up some skank from the Bellamy Brothers, who I bet would still also have better lyrics even if I knew what these were. The bouncy cheer and quiet comfort always purveyed by this label run amok.

MORE DUDS

"African Party"
(Putumayo World Music)

Mamadou Diabate
"Heritage" (World Village)

Tcheka
"Nu Monda" (Times Square)

Tiempo Libre
"What You've Been Waiting For/Lo Que Esperabas" (Shanachie)