Various: Sahara Café

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * * *)

If you can imagine an airy, fan-cooled lounge in the middle of swags of scorching sand this is much as you might expect: North African and Arabic artists in chill-out mode. Real nice, especially when the chiming santur kicks in, the voices keen and wail, and DJs scratch gently. Takes you to a nice exotic place. Recommended. The Putamayo compilation series also drops in on smoke-filled cafes in Paris for French Cafe, a slick 13-track collection which puts the legends (Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, Georges Brassens) alongside newer names (the bloodless Paris Combo, the Hot Club sound of Sanseverino) and Bridget Bardot (true, she had pop songs in the 60s ye-ye style and worked with Gainsbourg). With useful liner notes this is yet another intro-album rather than summation of a style and as such offers no contest to a decent Piaf, Brassens or Django Reinhardt collection.

Label: Putamayo/Elite