"Rough"-ing It In East Africa [O.P.P., We Did It Again]

Even in the MP3 age, there are CDs worth searching out—and that require the search. "O.O.P., We Did It Again" is dedicated to great albums that are criminally out of print, and that aren't necessarily likely to become available anytime soon. The album: The Rough Guide to the Music of Kenya and Tanzania (1996), one of the many worthwhile titles to stem from the joint efforts of World Music Network and the Rough Guide travel books. Classic material: This one has some sentimental value for me. Back in 1997 I got nearly the entire Rough Guide CD catalogue to that date for a lengthy write-up. The Kenya and Tanzania volume struck me then as just about the best of the series, a grade-A album in large part because it worked as an album, moving from urban Kenya to rural Tanzania and making the whole thing seem like a journey, but... [read full story]