Divine Rites
Drawing from early Christian women's chants of the Middle East, Vox, a two-person collaboration between vocalist Fadia El-Hage and composer Vladimir Ivanoff, centers on the regal tones of El-Hage, this time interpreting ancient feminist tracts from the 4th and 5th centuries, before women were banned from liturgical singing. Many of the songs have Arabic, Jewish, and Christian roots, perfectly suited to El-Hage's Lebanese and operatically trained voice. Religions and traditions blur in this fascinating 10-track collection, fusing some familiar religious dogmas with those of early Maronitic and Melkitic faiths of the ancient Middle Eastern churches. Ivanoff's synthesized arrangements are augmented at times rather strongly by electric guitar, but it is El-Hage's intense and spiritual voice that draws the listener like a moth to a sanctified flame.--Derek Rath