Hot Women: Women Singers From The Torrid Regions Of The World - Various Artists

A love of crackly old 78's has always been a recurring theme in R. Crumb's iconic underground comics, but, to my knowledge, this is the first album to be compiled and packaged by Crumb himself. Crumb idealizes women (dig his eccentric portraits of his favorite plus-sized beauties and art-damaged runaways), so this compilation seems like a logical extension of his love for world music from the good ol' days and the tough old gals who made their voices heard. The depth of this compilation is astounding: twenty-four tracks of lovely ladies belting out traditional classics from their homelands, places as exotic as Cuba, Brazil, Chile, Sicily, Hawaii, Madagascar, Turkey, Algeria, and Greece*. My personal favorites are old-timey Cajun singer Cleoma Falcon's "Blues Negres", Tejano border queen Lydia Mendoza's "Mexico En Una Laguna", and rebellious Greek rembetika singer Rita Abadzi's "Mime Stelis Mana Anastin Ameriki", but the amazing diversity of this collection makes naming highlights rather difficult. These recordings are mastered from 78's from the 20's, 30's, and 40's, so, naturally, many of these foreign folk tunes may sound "difficult" to some ears. Nevertheless, it's a helluva collection, and, at the very least, a warm and fuzzy gift from underground comics' most fascinating personage.

What does it all mean, Mr. Natural?

*For the discerning ethnomusicologist, here follows a list of recording years and locations:

1. "Blues Negres" - Cleoma Breaux Falcon (Lousiana Cajun, 1934)

2. "Mexico en Una Laguna" - Lidya Mendoza y Familia (Mexican, mid-1930s)
3. "El Cacahuatero" - Tona la Negre (Mexican, early 1930s)
4. "Tambor de la Alegria" - Grupo de la Alegria (Cuban, 1928)
5. "Liva" - Leona Gabriel-Soime with A. Kindou Orchestra (French Caribbean, 1932)
6. "Quero Sossego" - Araci Cortes with Brunswick Orcherstra (Brazilian, 1931)
7. "Papa Araucana" - Las Cuatro Huasas (Chilean, early 1930s)
8. "Sevillanas No. 2" - La Nina de Los Peines acomp. by Nino Ricardo (Spanish, 1927)
9. "Lu Fistinu Di Palermo" - Rosina Trubia Gioiosa (Sicilian, 1927)
10. "Mime Stelis Mana Anastin Ameriki" - Rita Abadzi (Greek, mid-1930s)
11. "Arostisa Manoula Mou" - Maria Vasileiathou (Greek, late 1930s)
12. "Guenene Tini" - Cheikha Tetma (Algerian, 1930)
13. "Khraïfi" - Aicha Relizania (Algerian, 1936)
14. "Yama N'Chauf Haja Tegennen" - Julie Marsellaise (Tunisian, 1929)
15. "Neva Hicaz Gazel" - Ayda Sonmez (Turkish, 1946)
16. "Ballali Madja" - Hamsa Khalafe and Alia Atia (African, circa 1950)
17. "Bina Adamu" - Hadija Binti Abdulla (East African/Swahili, early 1930s)
18. "Chant d'Invitation a la Dance" - Badolo, Maboudana (Middle Congo, 1933)
19. "Miverena Rahavana" - Hirain-Drazaivelo, Noforonin-Dratsiambakaina, Christine Zanany (Madagascar, 1931)
20. "Title in Hindustani" - Miss Nilam Bai (Hindustani Indian, 1928)
21. "Title in Burmese" - Yadana Myit (Burmese, early 1930s)
22. "Hat Du" - Co Ba-Thinh, Kham-Thien (Vietnamese, 1930)
23. "Lei E" - Emma Bush with Johnny Noble and his Hawaiian Music (Hawaiian, late 1920s)
24. "Chant D'Amour" - Chants Populaires Tahitens (Tahitians, 1931)