Google “romantic world music” at your peril.
Sometimes Google is a dangerous thing. For instance when you feed it something that could be interpreted in various ways.
Take the phrase: “Romantic World Music,” which you might understandably be Googling around Valentine’s Day.
What you might expect (mentions of Cesaria Evora singing "Besame Mucho," Mariza singing "Meu Fado Meu" maybe a duet featuring Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo) is not what you get. No, instead the first video to pop up is “Romantic World Music” from the online game Second Life.
How would you rate that on the “most romantic world music” scale? Oh well, maybe if you live in Second Life, it’s as romantic as it gets. (Second Lifers, feel free to debate that point!)
Then again, if you live in the “romantic world music” universe of sound effects ruled by Sounddogs, romance comes in the form of such moving moments as “Old Mexico Sunset Romantic Intimate Tender Traditional Mexican Style.” (It should be said that experiencing a sunset in many places in Mexico might truly be romantic, tender, whether or not traditional Mexican style.)
Anyway, if you keep Googling eventually you will get to something that might be a better fit for wining and dining and the world: Putumayo Presents Romantica: Great Love Songs from around the World.
But what do you think: what would you call “romantic world music”?