The genre of world music has seen plenty of vanity projects over the years, but this one is surely the most ambitious - and self-important - of the lot. A couple of years ago, so they tell us, Duncan Bridgeman and Jamie Catto (ex-Faithless) set off around the world with the aim of "collaborating with the most happening musicians, authors, scientists and thinkers we could find to explore the unity in our diversity". 1 Giant Leap is the result, a collection of stately songs driven by swirling keyboards, with an impressive cast of voices including Baaba Maal, Michael Stipe, Robbie Williams and Bollywood star Asha Bhosie. The results are decidedly mixed, with some fine melodies marred by a scattering of spoken New Age philosophising which will probably irritate more people than they inspire. Investigate with caution, then, but investigate nonetheless.
