The waiting is over! Manu Chao’s new production is almost here. The legendary French-Spanish musician, prince of the party/protest music and truthful citizen of the world, releases La Radiolina his first studio album in six years, following-up Próxima Estación: Esperanza which sold more than three million copies in 2001. Born in Spain, Manu moved to France with his parents during Franco’s regime. He came to fame in 1986 as the lead singer of Mano Negra (Black Hand) a band that broke every single music mold known by then. When in 1995, and after several albums, the band decided to split, Manu opted to travel the world before recording his first solo album Clandestino, which was another landmark in global music. So, you may ask, “what does this third new album have to offer?” And the answer, my friend, is: a little bit of everything! It is not only the fact that he sings in Spanish, English, French, Italian and Portuguese, but also the constant fusing of rock with elements of reggae, pop and punk among others. Furthermore, even if you hated one or two of its tracks, you may find yourself singing along other ones; that’s how rich this CD is. Many of the lyrics talk about the sometimes-sad and strange world we live in (wait to see the video for “Rainin in Paradise” to understand what I mean by that) so don’t expect this production to be part of your party CD-collection anytime soon. Also, I know that the world-music-genre may not exactly be your usual “cup of tea,” but believe me, if there is one world-music album you must have, this is the one, and is expected to see the light of day on September 3rd.