I was initially attracteed to Putomayo's Sahara Lounge because I was idling the minutes away in a record store and it had just been released. "Shiraz" pulled me into it. I found out later that that song, the opening piece, was the product of Ramin Sakurai, of Supreme Beings of Leisure fame. It's a great way to kick off what is largely a sensual, intimate-feeling album. While Silk Road Café feels like relaxing "store" muzak, this album has a less restrained feel. "Organic" and maybe even "earthy" describe it well, despite the obvious touch of electronica running through the songs. Other album favourites are "Fly" for its poignant melody and Ilhan Ersahin's stripped-down vocals. Since I like French-language music, I enjoyed "Lili s'en Fout" with its strong beat and alternating French and (Arabic?) lyrics. For the first week of owning this disc, I put all of the songs on my MP3 player and walked around a rainy campus silently, taking the combined effect in. It felt like I was in a trendy (yet solemn) music video, which was nice. Overall, the album is better suited to lovemaking than dancing, but that's why it's called "Sahara Lounge." Cozy up to it.

This is a warm and smooth album; I found every track on the CD appealing. The CD fits gently into both the "World" and "Down-tempo" musical genres. I bought this album because I was familiar with Soap Kills; I figured that I would be happy with the CD if the rest of the tracks were like Soap Kills. I was not disappointed.

I'm not sure why another reviewer claims that there are "quite a few" of the same songs on this compilation as on Arabian Travels 1. I have both and can vouch that there is only one track that the albums have in common, the Sonar remix of Dahmane El Harrachi's "Ya Rayah". Indeed, the two albums have a very different vibe, overall. Sahara Lounge is more organic with a rootsier flavor and Arabian Travels has a more electronic, techno flavor. Both are nice albums with different approaches to similar movements in the world and electronica music scenes.

While a good collection, there is a high degree of overlap with other collections out there (eg. Six Degrees' Arabian Travels Vo1. I).

Come with me to the Casbah....so we can chill to the sounds of Sahara Lounge. Is it just me, or is Putumayo getting better and better?

Sahara Lounge is a mellifluous, spicy journey through the exotic fairy tale lands of Persian palaces, Arabian sands and Maghrebine courtyards, jumbled up and sifted through European downtemps beats and postmodern cool. It's smoother, cooler and more tongue-in-cheek than Putumayo's other Middle Eastern gem, Arabic Groove, but complements it beautifully for the quieter moments of your day.

The word is subtlety: subtle melodies, subtle vocals, subtle fusion. But unlike so many of these "subtle fusion" musical attempts, the shimmering Middle Eastern soul of the music is never lost in the electronica elements. It's not just smoke, mirrors and camera tricks as is a large majority of downtempo music, being based on genuine and ancient musical traditions. We find artists featured from right across the Islamic/Middle Eastern world, from Iran to Lebanon to Morocco, in addition to some European DJ's.

Enjoy it on a early summer's morning, with a steaming glass of mint tea in one hand and your favourite book in the other!