Dust to Gold
You might think this posthumous release of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and party would either suffer in quality of music or be a patched-together compendium of leftover bits from Real World's archives, but this is not the case withDust to Gold. These recordings from Nusrat's hometown of Lahore, Pakistan, feature the great singer performing as vibrantly as ever with tabla and clapping rhythms thriving. His voice sounds robust and flexible, as do the ensemble's joined chant. Nusrat trades call and response with ensemble member Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan on tracks "Khawaja Tum Hi Ho" ("Master It Is Only You") and "Koi Hai Na Ho Ga" ("There Was No One, There Will Not Be Anyone"), and the vocal artistry reaches the same divine, drunken brilliance that Nusrat and party concocted when the master was alive, full of life, and touring. It's unclear where exactly these performances were recorded, but the sound quality is stunning. It's perhaps one of Real World's best offerings, without the dryness of such earlier collections asThe Last ProphetorShahbaaz. Here the tabla's low end is round and fruitful, the harmonium bounces off a slight echo, and there's a live-room effect that adds a richness to all tonalities. This is one of Nusrat's final releases, so how satisfying that it's also one of his best.--Karen K. Hugg