Bardo
For two decades, musical director-dancer Gabrielle Roth and her ever-changing group the Mirrors have specialized in organic, cross-cultural, tribal trance music with a wide spectrum of instrumentation.Bardois no exception. Indeed, it may be the group's best recording yet, featuring the serene lead vocals of Russian rockerBoris Grebenshikov(for whom this is the second collaboration with Roth) and the skills of string player Allison Cornell, percussionist Joe Bonadio, flautist David Weiss, and fretless bass player Dassi Rosenkrantz-Cabo, among a cast of dozens. From the laid-back vibe of "Infinite Sky" to the dramatic march of the title track to David Sancious's beguiling electric guitar work on "The Crossing," this album showcases the type of classy music that shatters New Age stereotypes and proves how rich the genre can be.--Bryan Reesman