There is no beginning or end to the PanAmerican Highway for Argentine musician Federico Aubele. PanAmericana is for him a musical state of mind. It's also the title of his latest recording. The World's Marco Werman has today's Global Hit.

The PanAmerican Highway is an apt metaphor for Federico Aubele's "PanAmericana." The highway is a network of roads, not one single stretch of blacktop -- each segment reflects the individual character of the country it's in. You can say the same for the tracks on Federico Aubele's album.

It's a series of songs -- each one echoing different styles from across the Americas. There is some tango. There's also Mexican bolero, Afro-Cuban son rhythms, Colombian cumbias, and American hip-hop.

Federico Aubele

Federico Aubele loosely defines his music. His first albums showed a talent for re-thinking tango. But as "PanAmericana" shows, Aubele doesn't just focus on a single style. He likes to travel all over the map.

This track is called "En el desierto," in the desert. Federico Aubele sings and plays acoustic guitar on this number. If you focus on the music floating just above the one-drop reggae groove, you may be able to grab a partner and dance a vague tango.

But Aubele is more interested in creating a cinematic groove, one that takes you on a visual ride through South America. Aubele started his musical career by electronically sampling tango and playing his guitar over those samples. But don't be fooled -- Panamericana is musically textured. Just like its highway namesake, the CD touches many points.

For The World, I'm Marco Werman.