The Bombay-born tabla master and percussionist Trilok Gurtu has become a fixture on the pop- and world-music scenes, performing with Pat Metheny, Gilberto Gil, and Bill Laswell. On this CD--produced by the famed Beninese Afropop superstar and Level 42 cofounder Wally Badarou--Gurtu forms a rhythmic rice-and-curry meal flavored with funk, raga, bhangra, and juju sonic seasonings. Backed by vocalist Sabine Kabongo (formerly of Zap Mama) along with bass, guitar, and sitar, Gurtu successfully merges the Aryan/Dravidian ancestral drum lines of his homeland with the processional pulsations of West Africa. The leader is joined on this quest by the continent"s brightest stars: Benin"s Angelique Kidjo lends her Fon-language contralto on the hypnotic "A Friend." Mali"s Salif Keita Afro/Arabic Mande vocals christen the tantric tone poem "Have We Lost Our Dream?" Wasis Diop of Senegal beautifully complements Gurtu"s textured tabla playing on "Passing By," while South Africa"s Jabu Khanyile puts his township tones to the synthesized kalimba sounds on "Ingoma." Gurtu also includes his trans-Indian compatriots Mryudula and Bharat Desai on "Dance with My Lover." Chris Dilford of the rock group Squeeze wrote the lyrics to the anthemic "Ola Bombay." In Trilok Gurtu"s hands, world beats are transformed by his silky subcontinental swing. --Eugene Holley Jr.