Pakistan is for the Peaceful

This is an incredible performance by Pakistani master vocalist Ustad Saami, one that demands that you listen and re-listen to immerse yourself in the subtleties of line that he manages to create. Since his first recording was released early last year he has become something of a world-music celebrity, famous for his command of microtones. This took many years of strict training in a now almost-extinct Pakistani devotional music, but here he is accompanied by his four sons, who one hopes will carry on at least part of his tradition. If you want to imagine what it sounds like, think of a cross between the musical rigour of a deeply serious dhrupad crossed with the devotional conviction of qawwali, but without the flashy fireworks that are usually associated with that genre. This is particularly evident in the opener ‘Prayer for a Saint’, a weighty piece of musical contemplation. The second track, ‘Aman (Peace)’, is, as befits its name, a more gentle and soft exploration in which the vocal lines feel weightless as they soar above the accompanying harmonium. While the disc finishes with the shorter ‘Happy Morning’, a deceptively simple vocal line above a plain drone.