Huffington Post,
CD Review
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One term you will not hear often is "Hebrew Qawwali." In fact, in today's political climate, the idea of a Jewish-based Pakistani music seems blasphemous, if not socially unacceptable. That's only to people who like to do things like oppose Muslim community centers in Manhattan, however. Shye Ben-Tzur was always an open-minded singer, and after attending a classical Indian concert some years back and eventually discovering qawwali, he was hooked. I'm not going to lie: I'm a huge qawwali fan, and when this album came across my desk, it seemed suspect. I'm also a big fan of being wrong, however, as Shoshan (Earthsync) proved me to be. Produced by one of my current favorite labels, these 12 songs mix things like qawwali and saxophones, which I would have imagined to be an instant train wreck, in gorgeous ways. Ben-Tzur has such a nice balance of styles that this really is a unique album. That a harmonium and flamenco guitar work together was proven with Faiz Ali Faiz and Miguel Poveda's excellent double-album, Qawwali Flamenco; Ben-Tzur verifies the fact. In a country in need of more religious understanding like America, this charming devotional recording should be in high demand. 08/12/10
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