Love & Devotion

Qawwali is the devotional music of South Asian Sufis (Islamic mystics) and its most famous exponent, the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, remained Pakistan’s best-kept secret until the mid-80s, when a performance at WOMAD and the subsequent releases on the Real World label catapulted Khan to an immensely high-profile international career.

These recordings date from those heady 80s days when, soon after the initial WOMAD success, Khan decided to do some studio versions of his favourite numbers, rearranging them to add a richer texture with the addition of Western instruments including mandolin and guitar. The two discs here are divided into ‘Songs of Love’ and ‘Songs of Devotion’, although where qawwali is concerned, there is hardly a dividing line between the two. Perhaps in an attempt to include as many hits as possible, some songs are left frustratingly incomplete. But, after a decade or more of imitators, it is absolutely delightful to hear the real thing again – the maestro at the height of his powers, before ill-health started to take its toll. And, if you listen carefully, the not-yet-broken voice of nephew Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (then aged ten) who subsequently went on to become a leading voice in Indian film music, is clearly discernible.