Voices
Hard-core jazz-guitar heads may labelVoicesas Stern's "world music album," but he doesn't come off as just another musician jumping on the international-rhythms bandwagon. As the title suggests, the nine-track disc is actually a collection of conversations that Stern has with various vocalists, including the exciting Cameroonian singer and bassistRichard Bona. Most of the singing is done in the wordless vocal style, with Stern swooping and swirling in and around the singers, in musical dialogues built on the solid compositional grounds that Stern always constructs for his records. Bona is featured on the first two songs, "One World" and "The River," the latter of which the singer wrote a lyric for in his native tongue, while Elizabeth Kontomanou and Phillip Hamilton perform on the others. Kontomanou is particularly effective on two deliberate and simmering ballads, "Slow Change" and "What Might Have Been," both of which are less influenced by world music than the three great tracks where the singers work in harmony together with Stern's guitar. "Wishing Well," "Spirit," and "Leni's Smile" are all uplifting pieces that display the best of the theme of this album. The hottest track may be the last; "Way Out East" is an exploration of jazz-fusion at its finest, featuring the rhythms of India. SaxophonistMichael Breckermakes a searing guest shot on the tune.--Mark Ruffin