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We are at that time of year again when Tucson begins to swelter.

Right now, it's a challenge getting ice cream home from the store still frozen and even harder to hold your steering wheel without oven mitts. By this time next month, the city should be well into meltdown mode with no hope in sight until the fall.

As the summer temps continues to rise, cool music is a must.

Here are some world artist titles guaranteed to refresh:

Good for: Relaxing bubble baths and romantic interludes.

It was Ibrahim Ferrer's dying wish that "Mi Sueño" be released. Or so the story goes. Whether you choose to believe it or not, the Grammy-winning Buena Vista Social Club vocalist's final project is a lovely listen. It has heart and soul and, with its host of romantic boleros and Ferrer's seasoned delivery, serves as the musician's final love letter to the world before his passing in 2005.

Good for: Thirty minutes of cardio on the exercise bike.

Putumayo Records has an uncanny knack for showing the common bonds found in music, whether the styles be contemporary or traditional. "A New Groove" sets its sights on the club music scene. Tame compared to other, more intense club releases, the album takes you on a trip across three continents, with musicians and DJs laying down rhythms from Australia, Europe and North America. The only drawback: All of the tracks are in English. Where is the diversity in that?

Good for: A relaxing evening by the pool.

Nawal may not be the first performer to come from the Comoros, a small string of islands between mainland Africa and Madagascar. Nor is she the first to play the gambusi, a Yemen-born instrument often described as a mix between a banjo and the oud. But she is the first Comorian woman to ever perform on stage or go international with her dynamic stringplay and eloquent vocals. The Sufi musician combines the crossroads of influences found in the Comoros Islands with songs that incorporate African, Arabic, Turkish, Persian and Indonesian traditions. Tracks include detailed back stories in the liner notes.

Good for: Your next mix CD between Ozomatli and the Molehill Orkestrah.

Sporting the JDub tag, the same record label that boosted Hasidic dance-hall toaster Matisyahu to superstardom, Balkan Beat Box steps up its game with "Nu-Med" a funky, fun, remixed journey through Southeastern Europe. Beat Box doesn't crack you over the head with traditional sounds, but its barrage of brass and clarinet lets you know this is a gypsy fusion affair. Add some catchy beats, irresistible hooks and reggae- flavored vocals and you have an album worthy of prime real estate on your iPod.

Good for: Your next evening house party with your open-minded friends and neighbors.

Next in line for the "queen of Cape Verde music" throne, Lura returns to the spotlight with her fifth release, "M'bem di Fora," out since March on Times Square Records. The young vocalist brings a brighter, more upbeat sound than that of the Cape's current matriarch, Cesária Évora. Lura's confident and vocally entrancing delivery intoxicates as she pays homage to her rural roots swinging through festive and fluffy batuka melodies and smooth, romantic ballads not unlike our Latin boleros. Lyrics appear with English translations in the liner notes.