She'll Betray You: Los de Abajo and "Sr. Judas"

Today's random song is from Mexico. Los de Abajo was founded in 1992 in Mexico City as a Latin ska group. Over time, their musical influences have become more inclusive of rock, reggae, salsa, Son Jarocho, banda sinoalense and cumbia. Liber Terán is their main vocalist and writes most of the songs. After releasing their first album independently, they were signed to David Byrne's Luaka Bop label and released their international debut, the eponymous Los de Abajo. Their followup album, Cybertropic Chilango Power, earned them a BBC Radio 3 World Music Award for the Americas. They have released eight albums and are noted supporters of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation and have even featured Zapatista leader Commandanta Esther on one of their songs. Sr. Judas is from their 2002 CD Cybertropic Chilango Power.

Daddy's Girl: The Afro Celt Sound System and "Inion/Daughter"

Today's song is from a world group mixing African and Celtic sounds. Inion/Daughter is by The Afro Celt Sound System, which fuses modern electronic dance rhythms with traditional Irish and West African songs. The Afro Celt Sound System were formed by British producer Simon Emmerson and Afro-pop star Baaba Maal in 1991. Since then they've been proclaimed a world music supergroup, and have collaborated with Peter Gabriel, Sinead O'Connor, Robert Plant, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Ayub Ogada and many other pop and world stars. Inion/Daughter can be found on their 1996 release Volume 1: Sound Magic.

Anatolian Violin: Murat Sakaryalı and "The Seaside of Your Dreams"

Today's random song comes from Turkish violinist Murat Sakaryalı. I cannot find much information on him, at least information that I wouldn't have to run through Google Translate and give you a bad translation of, so I won't. I'll just let his music speak for itself. You can find this song, The Seaside of Your Dreams, on the 2007 compilation album Turca Lounge, Vol. 1.

Royalty: Cesaria Evora and "Cabo Verde Manda Mantenha"

Today's random song is by "The Barefoot Diva" Cesaria Evora, also known as "The Queen of Morna." Placed in an orphanage in her native Cape Verde at the age of ten after her father died and her mother couldn't care for her, she was persuaded by a friend to sing in a sailor's tavern at age 16. In the 1960s she began performing for Portuguese cruise ships. In 1985 she was invited to Lisbon by Cape Verdean singer Bana where she was discovered by producer Jose da Silva. He invited her to record in Paris. It was only in 1988 that she began to achieve international success. She died in 2011 after of respiratory failure and hypertension. This song, Cabo Verde Manda Mantenha, can be found on her 1999 album Café Atlantico and on the compilation album Putumayo Presents: Cape Verde. (1999)

FlamIndia: Anoushka Shankar and "Kanya"

The daughter of an Indian legend brings us the random tune for today. Anoushka Shankar is the daughter of Ravi Shankar, famed Indian sitar player and companion to The Beatles. She is also the half sister of performer Norah Jones. Anoushka Shankar is a famed sitar player in her own right. She began training to play sitar under her father at age seven, and by age ten she was accompanying him on tanpura in his performances. She gave her first public performance on sitar at 13, accompanied by tabla player Zakir Hussain. At fifteen, she assisted in the production of Ravi Shankar's landmark Chants of India, and producer George Harrison put her in charge of notation and conducting the accompanying musicians. She signed her first record deal at 16, and released her first album, Anoushka, in 1998. After her second album, she took time off from recording to concentrate on building a career outside of her father's ensemble. In 2007, she collaborated with Karsh Kale on an album mixing classical Indian sitar with electronica. Since then, she has had a prolific and very creative period as an artist and performer. This song from her Grammy nominated album Traveller (2012) is called Kanya. The album as a whole is an exploration of the shared history of flamenco and Indian classical music.

Feeling Their Way Through Music: Amadou and Mariam with "M'Bifé (Balafon)"

Today, we have a random tune by blind Malian duo Amadou & Mariam. Vocalist Mariam Doumbia lost her sight at age 5 due to untreated measles, while guitarist and vocalist Amadou Bagayoko lost his sight at age 15. They met at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind and discovered that they had similar interests in music. Their music has developed from early sparse recordings consisting of guitar and vocals to a mix of traditional Malian sounds combined with rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion. This style has been dubbed "Afro-blues." This song, M'Bifé (Balafon), appears on their 2005 CD Dimanche à Bamako (Sunday in Bamako), which was produced by world and Latin music star Manu Chao.

Sealing the Deal: Heather Dale and "The Maiden and the Selkie"

Heather Dale brings us our random tune today - a love story involving seals that can shed their skin and become human. Heather Dale is a Canadian Celtic music and songwriter who mostly performs her own compositions. Her songs are inspired by folklore and mythology, and some fantasy literature, and she draws on musical styles such as Celtic folk, folk rock, new age and world music. She is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms, where she began her performing career, and where she is known as Mistress Marian of Heatherdale, and she has received the Society's highest award for achievement in the arts. She is particularly fond of Arthurian tales and legends, which has inspired many of her songs. She is also an outspoken advocate of independent Canadian musicians, and has never signed a contract with a major record label. This song, The Maiden and the Selkie, can be found on her 2010 album The Green Knight.