Keyboardist-percussionist-producer Jamshied Sharifi’s A Prayer for the Soul of Layla ( Alula 1005; 47:35) is an atmospheric evocation of middle eastern music, but stretching into other cultures and attitudes. This is hardly pure world music, and the mixture of acoustic instruments and synth pads might seem questionable, but its eclectic textures hold together nicely, partly thanks to the help of guests like Pedro Aznar on percussion and voice, Hassan Houkman on voice and sintir, and vocalist Paula Cole. It’s an agreeable, worldly weave.
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