It may seem strange to find a review of Peter Gabriel's new album on these pages, but don't forget Gabriel is also the man behind the prestigious Real World label. 'Big Blue Ball' is his synthesis of what the term "world music" should entail in the 21ste century. It has to be great to be Peter Gabriel, because he only has his guests for the picking; 'Big Blue Ball' is therefore an almost infinite list of featuring's going from Natacha Atlas and Iarla Ó Lionáird (Afro Celt Sound System) over Papa Wemba and Vernon Reid (Livin Colour) to Sinead O'Connor and Jah Wobble. An eclectic mix indeed resulting in a sound that immediately brings to mind the soundtrack to 'Long Way Down' (which we covered on these pages a few months ago). The majority of the recordings on 'Big Blue Ball' all date back over fifteen years, proving the perfectionist Gabriel is. The album jumps back and forth between the five continents - if 'Habibi' and 'Shadow' still sound clearly African, then 'Altus Silva' hints at Celtic folk - and you don't have to be a genius to guess what that 'Big Blue Ball' Gabriel is talking about, is.