From Ethiopia to Sri Lanka and Turkey, world music is full of interesting east/west hybrids that are influenced by traditional sounds yet quite modern in their outlook. In the 1990s one such hybrid came from
Oleg Fesov, a singer from Tajikistan. Influenced by western pop as well as the traditional music of Tajikistan, the Middle East and India,
Lalaiki Pamir is hardly the work of a purist but is definitely the work of a risk-taker. On this lush, atmospheric album, synthesizers and keyboards are heard along with such instruments as the dombra, the Arabic oud, the Indian sitar, and Indian tabla drums. Although the lyrics are in the Shugnan and Tajikish languages,
Fesov's debt to western pop is undeniable. "Chudat Medoni," in fact, sounds a lot like Rodgers & Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things."
Fesov's high tech production is quite slick and glossy, but for all its slickness, this is a CD that comes across as soulful and heartfelt. ~ Alex Henderson