| Worldbeat | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | Kaoma |
| Cover: | Worldbeat.jpg |
| Released: | December 16, 1989 |
| Recorded: | March–November 1989 |
| Genre: | Latin |
| Label: | Epic Records |
| Next Title: | Tribal-pursuit |
| Next Year: | 1991 |
Worldbeat is the debut album by Kaoma, released in 1989. It provided three hit singles, two of them achieving success worldwide: "Lambada", "Dançando Lambada" and "Mélodie d'amour". The album is composed of songs in Portuguese, Spanish and English. It was ranked in the top 25 in Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Australia and Austria. It topped the Billboard Latin Pop in the U.S.
The album received generally positive reviews from critics. AllMusic wrote: "Not outstanding but definitely appealing, this CD effectively combines South American elements with dance music/disco, reggae and hip-hop. One hears Chic's influence on the funky 'Sopenala'."[1] According to a review in Pan-European magazine Music and Media, the album "is of course made up of Latin tinged, summery dance songs with uplifting melodies".[2] Music Week presented the album as "a collection of variations on the Lambada theme which never strays far from maximum accessibility. Pleasant and commercial, if not the real thing".[3]
| Chart (1989–1990) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Greek Albums (IFPI)[4] | 1 | |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[5] | 11 | |
| US Latin Pop Albums (Billboard)[6] | 1 |