One Truth
Just a few years ago, Omar Faruk Tekbilek could be found playing for belly dancers with his group, the Sultans. But withOne Truth, he further establishes himself as an artist to be reckoned with in his own right. The Turkish-born Tekbilek has been working a Middle Eastern fusion since hisSuleyman the Magnificentsoundtrack with producer-composerBrian Keane.One Truthfollows the trail blazed by the ensuing albums, such asBeyond the Sky, upping the rhythmic ante with some deeply layered percussion tracks and letting Faruk cut loose with ecstatic Sufi wails. But this is a mostly instrumental affair. Tekbilek plays just about every Turkish instrument you can think of, including theney,darbouka, oud,def, andbendir. And that's just on one track. On "I Love You," he carves gorgeous melodies on theneyflute as lush arrangements from producer-keyboardist Ron Yuval surround him. Flamenco guitarist Adam Del Monte rips across the throbbing percussion of "Red Skies," and "ARA'ya" strikes a more contemplative mood with a deep and lowneyflute over drones and birds. If there isOne Truth, this album gets close to it.--John Diliberto