Elysium for the Brave

Azam Ali | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 25, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Six Degrees
• ASIN: B000FTBK9G
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,463 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #86 in Music > World Music > Middle East > General
  • #86 in Music > World Music > Middle East > General AAS

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

For this, her second solo album, Azam Ali, lead vocalist of Vas and Niyaz, takes her patented polycultural blend of ancient and contemporary influences even farther beyond the stratosphere. That she is now a veteran of numerous film scores, including Children of Dune, Earthsea, and Matrix Revolutions, perhaps explains her present more cinematic direction. Born in Iran, reared in India and the US, and gifted with a voice of improbable tonal breadth, flexibility, and beauty, she is backed by collaborators like Trey Gunn (King Crimson), Chris Venna (Nine Inch Nails), Turkish DJ/composer Mercan Dede, the Japanese ensemble Kodo, and Grateful Dead drummer/world percussion enthusiast Mickey Hart. One of the more interesting conundrums inherent in Ali's work is that no matter how much electronic technology she employs, her immersion in her heritage unfailingly comes across loud and clear. Whether she is singing in English, which predominates on these sessions, Farsi, or another language, a prayerful sensuality informs every note. It's as though a sexy Tanagra temple figurine or silk-clad court lady from an antique parchment were to suddenly turn her lovely head and step daintily into the modern world, unfurling precisely the kind of voice one expected but never could have imagined. --Christina Roden

Product Description

In a career which spans over a decade and includes eight collaborative and solo albums, Azam Ali has confirmed her place as one of the most prolific, versatile, and gifted singers in the world music scene today. Looking at her entire body of work, it is hard to deny Azam her rightful place among the best singers and composers in music today. Azam's immense talent and ability to adapt her voice to any musical style have drawn the attention of many diverse artists and film composers. Azam collaborated in the studio and on stage with numerous artists like Serj Tankian of System of a Down, The Crystal Method, Pat Mastellato and Trey Gunn of King Crimson, Dredg, Chris Vrenna formerly of Nine Inch Nails, Ben Watkins of Juno Reactor, Buckethead, Steve Stevens, film composer Tyler Bates, Mercan Dede, the world renowned Japanese group Kodo, Zakir Hussain, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, and Mickey Hart with whom she also toured for two years as a lead singer in his group Bembe Orisha. Her latest band project Niyaz with Loga Ramin Torkian of Axiom of Choice, and two time Grammy nominee producer/ re-mixer Carmen Rizzo, released on Six Degrees Records, blended ancient Persian and Urdu Sufi poetry, rich acoustic instrumentation, and modern electronics. It has been hailed by critics worldwide as one of the most groundbreaking of its time. Elysium For The Brave, Azam's second solo album, signals a new turn in her musical evolution. The album, her most ambitious work to date, brings together musicians from varied musical backgrounds performing in diverse permutations. The result is a highly coherent body of work that seamlessly weaves together all of Azam's cultural and musical influences into a haunting tapestry of atmospheric rock, electronic, and global sounds. Singing predominantly in English for the first time, the songs are based on lyrics written by Azam herself and reveal a poetic lyricism heard only in glimpses in her previous works.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enveloping beauty of an album August 1, 2006

By Serge

Format:Audio CD

Azam doesn't take long to make a definitive statement on this album - the very first track is a beauty, a darkly shimmering, goosebump-inducing song featuring her signature vocals over a mixture of ethnic percussion and synthesizers (incidentally, this track also features King Crimson's Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto). Whereas the formula of mixing electronics with world music influences has gone so wrong in so many hands, here it shines, showing that it's an approach that only works when the influences are mixed naturally, not forced into an uncomfortable or superficial coexistance. Azam seems to have developed her own place in this genre-crossing terrain, rather than producing derivative work.

The album continues from there, showing the familiar facets of Azam from Vas and Niyaz, further maturing and evolving. "In Other Worlds" is another highlight, with a tasteful touch of trip-hop underlying the vocals. Indeed, this is indicative of the whole album - a certain element of minimalism allows the songs to breathe instead of burying them with unnecessary distractions. That said, there is quite a lot happening beneath the surface (as a quick glance at the list of contributing musicians would suggest), never boring the attentive listener. A work of beauty that demands more than just a single listening.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An erotic and mystical muse July 28, 2006

By Craig L. Gidney

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Azam Ali, "Elysium for the Brave."

Azam Ali, vocalist of Vas and Niyaz, has always been a closet goth. Her wordless vocals tended toward the minor key. In her first English language album, she brings out the black nail polish with her dark, contemplative lyrics about war and unrequited love. The music she and her cohorts construct are dark ambient techno pieces liberally accented with the Persian and Indian music that she developed in both her other projects. Danceable rhythms sinuously percolate, while exotic instruments play against a tapestry of delayed guitar effects and swirling keyboards. The sorrowful chord progressions wouldn't sound out of place on a Siouxsie or Robert Smith album, and the compositions - courtesy of such collaborators as Axiom of Choice's Loga Ramin Terkian and Niyaz's Carmen Rizzo - meld traditional and electronic instrumentation seamlessly. The ace in the hole, of course, is Ali's beautiful, rich voice. She turns English into alien language, twisting vowels into odd and magical shapes. In the past, she's sounded like Lisa Gerrard here, or Sheila Chandra there. On this album, Ali sounds like herself. Erotic, mysterious and melancholy, it's not too early to call this the ethereal album of the year.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Musical Elysium August 20, 2006

By Crazy Fox

Format:Audio CD

Well, Azam Ali's voice is every bit as rich and beautiful as the first time I heard it, on "Sunyata" when she was with Vas, but her music has become much more multilayered, complex, and satisfying. She reveals strong songwriting talent here in "Elysium for the Brave" with haunting, sophisticated lyrics of inner conflict and struggle--informed with a passionate (yet ambiguous) spark of transcendence alloyed with a refined sensuality. This was new, at least to me. Then, and a real strong point for me as far as this album goes, she integrates the sounds of contemporary electronica with the musical idioms of several different cultural traditions here in successfully subtle and compelling ways--never sounding fake or tacked on. Best of all, the vocals and the instrumentals, fine in and of themselves, function well in tandem, neither overshadowing the other and neither going off on its own tangent. I wasn't sure if I'd really like this CD or not, but it turned out to be a fine album that grows on you with each listening.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice but undeveloped and patchy November 4, 2009

By J. TIMMERMAN

Format:Audio CD

Azam Ali is a creative performer but although this album has interesting arangements and nice funky sounds, it's not her best. It's a slight progression on her Vas albums, but I like Portals of Grace (based on Medieval music) and Nine Heavens (as Niyaz) better. The problem with Elysium is the melodic invention is weak, with the ooing and aahing not really going anywhere and generally like variations on a theme, so that one track sounds pretty much like the next. Even the rhythms don't vary that much. There's some nice moments, with a kind of retro feel a la Durutti Column, OMD or even snatches of Tangerine Dream, against an exotic Eastern-style backdrop. Portals of Grace is more inspired, very Gothic, and Nine Heavens is deeper and funkier. Both of those albums have a stronger traditional basis. Still if you like Azam's commercial side you'll enjoy Elysium, it's easy to listen to, but you may tire of it eventually, as there is not a whole lot of variety.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars But in my isolation all truth is empty August 23, 2006

By Brett Corkins VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

If relaxation had a soundtrack Azam Ali's Elysium For The Brave would probably end up being it. Azam's voice is gorgeous yet never overdone. She doesn't beat you over the head with the fact that she could make an a capella CD and it'd be considerably better than a lot of CDs out right now. Instead Elysium seems to focus more on experimentation, leaving the vocals on the backburner. Usually hearing that would make me wary of buying a CD but with this one that is almost the best thing about it.

From the very beginning of Endless Reverie I was struck with the sheer beauty in this CD. Nothing is overdramatic, you're not left wanting more or less, the portions are perfect with nothing to spare. As for musical comparisons, well, in my eyes there are none that can do justice. Azam is in a league of her own. Lyrics always play a big part of why I end up liking an album, so if I can't understand them chances are that I won't fully enjoy the album itself. With Elysium For The Brave not once have I turned to the lyrics included to read along or whatnot, they don't matter. And that in itself is an acomplishment in my opinion.

When you think of middle-eastern influences, if you're anything like me, your mind automatically goes to snakecharmer music. Elysium has forever changed my views on middle-east music. The one thing that never fails is that I always feel comforted when I hear this CD. Be it the soothing vocals, the laidback approach, or just the presentation, if that's what Azam Ali was going for when she released this she surely acomplished her goal.

My favorite songs are Endless Reverie, In Other Worlds, Forty One Ways, From Heaven To Dust, and In This Divide.... If you're at all interested in branching out musically from what you predominantly listen to Azam Ali is a good place to start. It may take a few listens to grow on you but you'll be greatly rewarded if you give this CD a chance. Whether Azam is singing or letting the music speak for itself, Elysium For The Brave never disappoints. Read more ›