In the Garden of Souls
On their third album,In the Garden of Souls, Vas doesn't so much extend their sound as go deeper within it. Singer Azam Ali continues singing in tongues; she's an intoxicating priestess who invites you into terrain that's both sacred and sensual. Her voice is framed by her own hammered dulcimer and the percussion of Greg Ellis. He draws on a trap set that replaces tom-toms, snare drums, and cymbals with djembes, dumbeks, udu drums, chimes, and bells to surround Ali with a seductive swirl of throbbing percussion, while Cameron Stone adds sinewy, raga-like cello lines. You can hear the influence of Abbess Hildegard von Bingen's medieval chants on pieces like "Inamorata" and "Beyond Despair," while "Inward Coil" builds from a plaintive folk tune into a classical crescendo. Azam Ali's voice is a stunning instrument, hovering between the ululations of Iran, where she was born, and the extended, note-bending melodiousness of India, where she was raised. In a language of the imagination, she's revealing a glimpse of heaven.--John Diliberto