Indian sitarist Anoushka makes the instrumentation and sounds of Central Asia palatable on this release. She teams up with Manu Delgado/hang and Sanjeev Shankar/reed with composing chores passed around. The songs reflect sonic reflections of social issues, sometimes including even rap lyrics delivered by Alev Lenz on “Jump In” , a heartfelt poem delvered by Vanessa Redgrave on “Remain the Sea” and an all girl choir on the evocative “Reunion” which ends the album with a plea.
Musically, you got jazz bassist Larry Grenadier keeping things swinging, and even a dancer, Akram Khan, adds to the rhythmic groove. The melodies are clear and accessible, mixing acoustic with modern electronic to make pieces such as “Last Chance” and “Dissolving Boundaries” both lyrical and moving emotionally.
Deutsche Grammophon