Elysium of the Brave -- Azam Ali
In her second solo outing, the vocal half of the new-age group
Vas makes a point of differentiating her music from the group's.
Elysium is a chill-out, "electronica" album: lots of sequencers plus some middle-eastern instruments; drum machines mingle with acoustic percussion. The music is pleasant enough, but does not break any new grounds. Ali sings in both English and her native Persian language, and, as can be seen on the cover, plays the "Harem harlot" stereotype to the hilt -- in
Elysium, she uses a breathy, languid voice, as opposed to the sonorous, bell-like tone in the august, almost liturgical material of Vas.
While I have little to complain about the music, the sound suffers from all the ills of modern pop: the recording is not "hot", but the dynamics is still almost flat. Instruments are a muddle; the soundstage is narrow; and Ali's voice is shadowed under tasteless reverb. Electronica can be a feast to the ears; unfortunately bad production can ruin everything.