As promised, I am writing to you from WOMEX in beautiful Seville, Spain, where each night there is a music festival on three different stages. Last night's highlights were A Filleta, an exquisite a capella ensemble from Corsica. Like the medieval European artisans who never thought of themselves as individuals, who subordinated themselves to a greater goal, A Filleta build musical cathedrals. The other hit of the night was the ragged but right, electrified oud played by Mehdi Haddab of Speed Caravan. This band definitely knows how to get an audience jumping. I'm hot on the trail of videos for each band, so hopefully, in a few weeks you'll get to see these two excellent and totally different bands.

What better way to usher in the Summer than with some videos that take us on the road? World Music Block #53 starts out with Spain's Dusminguet packing their instruments for a bucolic outing, then Zdob si Zdub, from Moldova, offer up a retro hommage to state sponsored music. Next we have one of our viewers' favorites, "Manne Ke Manjeere" about the first female lorry driver in India, followed by a rooftop bash in Brazil with Silverio Pessoa. We cap it off with a madcap street chase from Mano Negra, the group that gave Manu Chao his platform to becoming a soloist and superstar.

There you have it - a globetrotting road trip... without using a single drop of fuel!