Remarkably for a singer of such high reputation, who has been active as a recording artist since the mid-1980s, this is
Sussan Deyhim
's first solo recording. Previous outings included albums created in tandem with
Richard Horowitz
, the magnificent
Majoun
among them, and innumerable guest appearances on CDs by the likes of
Bill Laswell
,
Jah Wobble
Russell Mills
, and
Brian Eno
. On
Madman of God
Deyhim
returns to the roots of her own musical tradition: a millennium's worth of Sufi love poetry. Familiar folk music to generations of Iranians,
transcends the merely archival in her interpretations of these classic melodies with her rich, musty vocals and eclectic arrangements. More than ably assisting her are a cross-genre collection of musicians, including
Raz Mesinai
(aka
Badawi
),
Reggie Workman
Karsh Kale
Horowitz
, cellist
Dawn Bukholtz Andrews
Reza Derakhshani
on a variety of stringed traditional instruments.
certainly exercises her gift with flourish; the largely wordless vocal of
"Daylaman (Inextricable)"
or her show-stopping imitation of tablas on
"Negara (Mesmerized Mirror)"
are but two striking examples. Together with performances like the elegiac
"Hamcho Farhad (Our Tears, Our Wine, Our Sight)"
and
"Navai (Savage Bird),"
with its distinctly Celtic undertones, this album is actually more accessible than her more avant-garde (though equally entrancing) efforts with
. ~ Stephen Fruitman