Customer Reviews

Niyaz

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This album easily tops my list for the best releases so far this year. I haven't been able to get it out of my CD player since I bought it.

So what does it sound like? Take a bit of Vas, mix it up with some electronic beats and a few synths here and there and you've got Niyaz. If you always liked some of the more upbeat Vas songs, but wished there was a little electronics sometimes - Niyaz is for you. If you aren't familiar with Vas, this should appeal to fans of Dead Can Dance or Loreena McKennitt. (And if you aren't a fan of Vas, go run out and get their most recent release!) I'm not familiar with Axiom of Choice, but based on this release, I'm going to definitely have to check them out.

I'm a big Azam Ali fan and her vocals are in top form here. She has an uncanny ability to express a wide range of emotions with her singing. In terms of the music, most of it is pretty upbeat - with electro rhythms mixed with more traditional sounding world percussion. You could imagine the result sounding cheesy, but they pull it off elegantly and the result is an amazing album full of depth and intensity. Highly recommended.

This CD is absolutely one of my favorites. It is a collaboration between Loga Ramin Torkian (Axiom of Choice) and Azam Ali (Vas) which transcends generes. Elements of Qawwali and Persian classical music fuse seemlessly with New Age, electronica and Ali's hauntingly beautiful vocals. Drawn from a rich history of Farsi and Urdu poetry, this music is love for the divine in it's purest form. Like Sufism, it transcends language and religious denomination. It's pure love... dark, eerie and wonderful all at once. I LOVE this CD, and strongly recommend it for anyone who loves Middle Eastern or South Asian music, or wants to explore it.

Songs like Nahan, Allah Allahi and The Hunt stay with you long after you listen to this CD. If your a fan of Vas, Natacha Atlas, Dead Can Dance, or similar groups, you owe it to yourself to check this CD out. And if this is the fist such CD your listening to, then look for more CDs from Vas, Azam Ali and Axiom of Choice (as well as other Persian/Iranian artists out there). I promise, you won't be disappointed.

This CD is a masterpiece (for lack of a better word). I'm a big fan of Azam Ali and Greg Eliss' band, "Vas." A band that perfectly exemplifies that the most important things in life go BEYOND words and that there is an ineffable Beauty in seeking for that special place WITHIN us, a place like no other in this world. Unlike her songs on "Vas," Azam Ali sings in Urdu and Farsi on "Niyaz," two of the most poetic languages in the world. When I heard the first song, "Ghazal," I was stunned and in awe... like whoa, I never heard anyone sing in Urdu like this before. It got even better when I opened the CD case and discovered that she also sings the poems of arguably the greatest spiritual poet that ever lived: Jalaluddin Rumi!

Also unlike "Vas," this album features synth work, yet it still captures that spiritual energy found in Vas. "Niyaz" just sounds more modernized. It truly is folk music for the 21st Century (as the album is self-described). The young and modern sounds mixed with ethnic and mystical instruments just demonstrate how versatile Middle-Eastern/South Asian music is, and Azam Ali's ethnic and uniquely aboriginal voice helps mentally transport the listener into the mystical realm of timeless Urdu and Farsi poetry. Her voice gives the listener freedom in traveling wherever his/her imagination takes him/her.

If you're a fan of Vas or just of music in general, then this CD is a must-have! The music is great for ESCAPE, inspiration, for exercising our minds, painting pictures in our minds, or even just relaxation or meditation (particularly the Sufi Whirling Meditation).

My favorite tracks are "Ghazal," "Allahi Allah," "The Hunt," "Dunya," "Golzar," "Dilruba," and "Minara" (a great closing track!)

Beautiful and timeless lyrics, soaring vocals, ethnic soundscapes, young and stimulating beats - relax, close your eyes, and let the music send you diving into the Ocean of your Imagination.

Asalaam Alaykoum

As an Iranian I am so proud of this album. It is a huge step forward for us considering that aside from our traditional music we have very little to be proud of in the music world. If you are a narrow minded person with preconceived, puristic ideas of what Persian music should sound like, like this reviewer "Andisheh", then this album is certainly not for you. Someone who evidently has little appreciation for what it takes to create, does not even know the difference between Urdu and Hindi, and would allow himself to spew such negativity about any artist's work in a public forum, is someone who obviously has personal issues and should not be taken seriously. It is this kind of closed mindedness that has kept Iranian music from progressing in the modern world.

This is far from being anything remotely close to a Pop or New Age record. Anyone who would think that has obviously not had much exposure to electronic music and associates ANY programming with pop music. The programming on this album is extremely tasteful and elegant and is used as a real instrument. You feel the performances of the acoustic instruments cutting through unlike most electronic cds which use samples of eastern vocals and instruments to make up for lack of composition which is such a strong element present in this record.

From the interviews I have read from Niyaz, they make no claim to attempting to do anything traditional. If anything they are trying to break through the boundaries that have kept Iranian music from progressing the way Indian and other eastern music has. I have seen them play live and they are all first class, passionate musicians who are sincerely interested in doing something that is different, new, and not just a repetition of their previous works, or more important wanting to recreate pure traditional works. If you hear and see Azam Ali sing live you will understand why she has the success she has deservedly earned. Aside from her and Sussan Deyhim there are virtually no other Iranian singers who continue to defy any traditions or catagorization with their voice and vision.

Thanks to artists such as Azam Ali, and Ramin Tortian, we can look forward instead of backward. I admire Azam and Ramin for once more taking such a brave step with their music and challenging tradition. That is what art is all about.

Stumbled upon this album at Amoeba Music in L.A. in the Spring of 2005 and it easily stayed in heavy rotation for the rest of the year. It has returned to my player again and again with no less the impact as the early listenings contained. Destiny brought us together. Enchanting, haunting, and powerful. Instrumentally, the music is a woven tapestry come alive. Now, please, a warning: An element of this album will leave you changed forever. That aforementioned living tapestry is inhabited by a soul named, Azam Ali. She will haunt your dreams for years. Her voice crosses distances science has as yet failed to measure.

This album has reminded me time and again that the Middle East has an ancient, rich, and beautiful culture that is too often overshadowed by a negative spin from the Western media. If for no other reason, listen to this album and let it remind you that there are still bridges between cultures. This album gives you an opportunity to touch a hand that reaches out to you from far away. Beautiful music can still transcend the boundries of language and doctrine. I agree with a previous reviewer, this is also my World Music album of the year.

I came accross Niyaz through an Iranian friend of mine. I fell in love with their Album almost immediately. The lyrics which are in Urdu and Persian are extremely beautiful! The music and lyrics flow together perfectly. The music lead me through a spiritual journey itself. A great reflection of the beauty of Middle Eastern and South Asian culture as well as a great reflection of Sufi Islam.

Wow. I've searched and listened to so much music that I hoped would sound like this cd but never did. After slogging through a lot of what passes for sufi/pakistani/urdu electronica, I was SO pleased to hear this incredible cd. Truly entrancing and beautiful stuff. Very well produced, thoughtful, and something you can listen to many times over. Highly recommended, worth every penny; you will love this music.

Azam Ali, the ethereal singer from Vas, joins Loga Ramin Torkian, innovative guitarist from Axiom of Choice, along with Carmen Rizzo. Liner notes are sketchy and hard to read, so I'm not exactly sure who contributed what to this stylish, powerful album, but Niyaz sounds much like Vas, enhanced by the addition of strummed instruments, occasional male backup vocals and programming in the background). Minor in tone and very intense in flavor, Niyaz retains the deep, dark, hypnotic atmosphere of Ali's Vas albums, and the edgy passion of Torkian's later work with Axiom. Hopefully the synthesized world-beat elements (which are never overdone and certainly not mindlessly repetitive like much from that genre) will introduce Ali and Torkian to a wider audience. Most of the tracks are moderate-to-high energy, as well as strongly rhythmic and easy to follow, so they'd be good for dancing or drumming along with. Compare with "Unfolding" by Axiom of Choice, and "Garden of Souls" or "Feast of Silence" by Vas.

First and foremost, I will not start this review by saying something cliché about how beautiful the music is or how haunting or evocative Azam's voice is. The truth is, she and the album are far deeper than that.

It is always dangerous to openly market a CD as a fusion of electronic and world music because it is so commonplace in the world music society these days. Azam Ali is not a singer, she is not a run of the mill singer. She is a true vocal stylist, more than an artist she is an artiste. I don't claim to be a connoiseur of world music but it's not easy to ignore beauty and class when it is staring you in the face. In my opinion, the voice of God is within her. God, Allah, Shiva, whatever you call your saviour you will experience a salvation through her voice. Period.

I like the blend of Urdu and Persian music. Especially the poems from Rumi. They express a devotion and yearning for God that is unparallelled in any musical arena. I will keep this review short by saying, thank you Azam and the rest of Niyaz for creating an experience that took from California to Persia to Islamic Pakistan/India and back. It was a breathtaking journey and one I will cherish for years to come.

i came to the site to buy another disc, bought this one as well because it was recommended by the site and because the reviews were so overwhelmingly positive, and wound up listening to this disc much more than the one i originally came for.

this is one of those CD's that gives the aural equivalent of the satisfaction of a big, fine meal: it's substantial and nourishing. every course/track that arrives on the table inspires fresh delight and a new wave of eager anticipation.

the first time through the CD, nothing really jumped out at me until i got to Dilruba, and then Minara followed suit. by the third listening i was starting to appreciate the beauty and infectious beats of Ghazal, Nahan, The Hunt...and by about the fifth listening i loved the whole thing. it's dangerous to listen to while driving because it's almost impossible not to dance in your seat.

my only complaint with the disc i only noticed tonight when i listened to it through headphones for the first time: a drum in "Dilruba" sounds to me to be tuned a major third above where it should be, and that detracts from the song for me. i haven't noticed any other negative points though. it's a great, inspired work.

(why somebody tagged this disc with "dan aykroyd" and "rap" i don't know - neither has anything to do with this recording.)