Our New CD World Wide

There are twelve songs on World Wide, and here is what they are about!

1. ✤Elefantes (Lafourcade; sung in Spanish; bossanova) asks for the rhythm of the elephants and rhinoceroses to be shown to us in the clouds
   

2. ✤Saudade (Évoria; sung in Portuguese; morna) is a hard word to translate into English; it is used to describe an emotion that distills the sorrows of homesickness and longing for another place.
   

3. ✤Cry Me a River (sung exquisitely in English; blues) Catherine sure sounds like she’s been there as she snarls and slashes her way out of her ex’s heart, with gleaming sweetness and dripping honesty.
   

4. ✤Maniaia (LeBlanc; sung in English and Maori; soukous) is a Maori god with the head of a bird, the body of a sumo wrestler, and the tail of a fish.
   

5. ✤Scandolo (sung in French and Spanish; cha cha) is the old joke but it’s always funny.  A young man goes to his father and excitedly tells him “Papa, I’ve found the most beautiful girl!” to which his father relplies, “Na-nah, son, she’s your sister but your mama doesn’t know.”  This one ends with his mama laughing,“Don’t worry about it! your daddy’s not your daddy, but your daddy doesn’t know!” ... so we sing in two languages and two genders and try not to crack up.
   

6. ✤Labios de Cetim (sung in Portuguese) means “Lips of Satin”.  It’s a tender ballad to the one he loves and misses.
   

7. ✤Goza (sung in Spanish) exhorts us to Enjoy in hot salsa fashion, with a snappy dance beat that keeps you off-guard.
   

8. ✤Paula Ausente (sung in Spanish) is the tragic story of Isabel Allende’s daughter Paula and her ascent (to heaven).  This song has about as complicated a chord progression as they get, but the song ascends triumphantly because of it.  It is also innovative in its use of stealth bass solos.
   

9. ✤Eilean mo Gradh (LeBlanc; sung in English and Gaelic, jig) is a prayer of appreciation of our Earth, island my love, to anyone who would like to listen.  It’s loving, honest and astronomically correct.
   

10. ✤La Vie en Rose (Piaf; sung in French; rêverie) doesn’t translate to English directly, it means Life in Rose or Life through Rose-coloured glasses; inaccurate vs. clumsy, take your pick.  French is the ideal language for this song which celebrates the singer’s unwavering trust and happiness in her partner.
    

11. ✤Maria Lando (Lando/Grandi; sung in Spanish; flamenco) came to us from Peru, where Susana Baca sings it so well.  Maria works, and when she’s done working, she sleeps.  The song ends with Carla doing all the work and Phil getting all the credit.
    

12. ✤Summertime (Gershwin/Heyward; sung in English; meréngue) is funnier when you make your Mama rich and your Daddy good-lookin’.  Our Summertime has less to do with catfish and more with racing across the swimming hole.