The Seven Valleys
Stellamara is a Bay Area band creating a world music of the imagination: filtered through eastern European refrains, spun in Persian grooves, blended in medieval modalities, and supercharged by San Franciscan world music sensibilities. All this is centered by the vocal incantations of Sonja Drakulich, who recalls singers likeVas's Azam Ali andLumin's Irina Mikhailova. But while they sing in an imaginary supralingua, Drakulich sings real words. Much of Stellamara's music and lyrics are based on traditional melodies and sung in the original languages, such as the Bulgarian lament "Zablejalo mi Agance" and the love-torn Hungarian cry of "Szerelem." Drakulich's diaphanous soprano curves in fractalized spirals one minute and soars in heavenside choirs the next. Meanwhile, Gari Hegedus is a stringed wonder, playing saz, baglama, oud, violin, and just about anything else from the Asian diaspora you can pluck or bow. It's been seven years since Stellamara's debut album,Star of the Sea. But despite some personnel changes, including the departure of Jeffrey Stott (who went on to found Lumin), they manage to continue their exotic fusion, like a global gypsy troupe lost in time.--John Diliberto