Musical Merging
Cross-cultural it may be, and the Classical Persian/American
Blues dichotomy is distinct, but there is also a perfect musical coalescence in
this pairing. Mahsa Vahdat’s Farsi lyrics and vocals are beautiful, and the
‘yodel’ inflection in the singing captivating. The dominating instruments are
the Persian kamancheh and ney, played respectively by Pasha Hanjani and Shervin
Mohajer, and the Western horn of Mathias Eick, member of the predominantly
Norwegian band. Mighty Sam McClain’s vocal is more jazz standard than bluesy,
but it is an elegant tenor counterpoint.
Opener A Deeper Tone
of Longing sets the principal tone, a beautiful ballad begun by the mesmerising,
meandering voice of Vahdat, and then McClain sings his chorus with the kamancheh
played plaintively behind its strength. There is the one and only element of
funk in second track When You Came
which McClain begins, again with such clarity and strength. Jazz guitar takes
over from the kamancheh and the funk riff is accompanied with a ‘hey, hey, hey’
chorus.
There is an over-earnest and therefore jarring lyric to
fifth track Sun of Iran, but
otherwise the music is gently and meticulously appealing. Sixth We Are Sailors has a folk tone to its
melody and storytelling, and seventh My
Heart Doesn’t Know Borders has a wonderful folk/blues slide guitar layer
over which the melody is sung in quickly alternating vocals – perhaps the
finest example of this clever pairing.
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