ROOTS

Latest CD releases reviewed.

RIZWAN MUAZZAM QAWWALI
Day of Colours Realworld
***

At a time when Islam appears to be more associated with chaos and turmoil than spiritualism and joy, it's a real tonic to listen to the uninhibited devotional music of Rizwan Muazzam Qawwali. Regardless of whether you are religious, and accepting that the sound is an acquired taste, it is still difficult not to be touched by the gathering passion of this music that follows the ancient qawwali tradition of the Sufi sect, of which the most famous recent exponent was the late Pakistani, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. His two nephews, Rizwan and Muazzam Mujahid Ali Khan, are the key voices in a group in which voices are the main instrument. Against a backdrop of droning harmonium and popping tablas, they sing with exultant abandon - and no more so than on the opening Light of My Life, on which Muazzam sounds like a Pakistani James Brown.  www.realworldrecords.com  - Joe Breen

VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Rough Guide to Fado World Music Network
****

This brilliantly illuminating series of Rough Guide collections continues with a compelling introduction to the music of Fado, the starkly evocative strain of music celebrated in Portugal. As one with only a nodding acquaintance with the genre, this well-documented selection of the old and the new, all, as the genre demands, mostly blue, is a revelation. Subtitled "A tale of two cities: passion and elegance", a reference to the genre's twin axis of Lisbon and the university city of Coimbra, the 19 tracks simmer with burning passion, beautiful Spanish guitar flourishes and the odd excessive string section. Given its late-night resonance, it's not surprising that the young Portuguese have taken to its moody settings. Both the music's early aces and today's sultry queens get equal billing. www.worldmusic.net  - Joe Breen.