Disc One features artists hailing from Niger, Madagascar, the DRC, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan, Senegal, and Guinea.

[1] The extensive liner notes were written by Daniel Rosenberg, and Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network, produced the album.

After admitting that compilations spanning many countries typically annoy him, Robert Christgau recounted this one as "soft-spoken" and "pretty" enough to award it an "A−".

[4] David Maine of PopMatters wrote that this release was consistent with Rough Guides' "knack for culling good tunes from a far-flung range of material".

All tracks on Disc Two are by Noumoucounda Cissoko, a Senegalese kora-playing griot, from his 2012 digital album "Falling".