AHLUWALIA, KIRAN - WANDERLUST [Audio CD] AHLUWALIA, KIRAN

Aluwalia was born in India, grew up in Canada, and now lives with her husband and musical collaborator, Rez Abbasi, a native of Pakistan, in New York City. A longtime devotee of ghazals, ancient romantic poetry originally written in Urdu (she is one of the few modern artists to compose new music for these odes), she recently found herself enthralled by fado (literal translation--"fate"), Portugal's impassioned, doom-laden, yet somehow stately contribution to the world's lovelorn repertoire. Sensing a common chord between the two traditions, she sought out some noted specialists in the latter field, including guitarist José Manuel Neto and bassist Ricardo Cruz, along with accordionist Enzo d'Aversa. The result was a trio of tunes ("Jo Dil," "Haath Apne," "Haal-e-Dil") in which the two styles are blended and transformed into a mysteriously apt and no less heartrending third entity. The balance of the album is dedicated to further intercultural experiments, in which elements of Indian classical music, filmi (soundtrack) vocals, Western blues, and African influences alternate and join forces, underpinning the singer's silkily sinuous, sensual voice. One track, "Aks," even wanders into Brazilian bossa nova territory with no transitional shock whatsoever. Traditional instruments and percussion abut a stinging electric guitar, as boundaries are less surmounted than calmly and cheerfully ignored, to wonderful effect. --Christina Roden