Search - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan :: Pakistan: Vocal Art of Sufis 2

This release, recorded in Japan in the late 1980s, offers an excellent sampling of Nusrat at his least self-conscious. While the recording here isn't perfect, it's still decent and more importantly the earnest truth of Nusrat's art shines through well. This collection is full of the party indulging in wonderful tabla and harmonium intros, call-and-response chant, and slow crescendos of musical ecstasy. Just listen to the chilling, nuanced beginnings of "Haqq Ali Ali" with Nusrat swimming in the slow, undulating rhythms of the opening call-and-response before the party suddenly hikes up the tempo a notch and the listener is swept away into the throbbing rhythmic spirit. Nusrat's voice dances wildly in improvised phrasing while the ensemble keeps the pulsing tempo alive with tabla and clapping. A great companion to Qawwali: The Vocal Art of the Sufis I. --Karen Karleski