Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (vocals); Rahmat Ali (vocals); Jean-Christophe Messonnier, John Paul Gauthier (recorder); Dildar Khan (tabla); Nafees Ahmad, Kokab Ali, Khalid Mahmond, Asad Ali Khan (background vocals).

There's no doubting the remarkable power of Nusrat's voice, with its ability to transport the listener as he transports himself. These two albums (the first from 1995, the second a posthumous collection from 1999) offer the full range of his traditional music, although the former is more adventurous than the latter, with some soaring vocal work and sterling support from his group, or "party." Even though one eclipses the other, that's not to say the second disc is bad, by any means; there's some remarkable work on it, although Nusrat doesn't sound at the peak of inspiration he's hit elsewhere on disc. There's some excellent harmonium playing from Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, who also leads the party in its vocal backing, and the tablas are insistent, but never overwhelming. The focus remains firmly on Nusrat and his stratospheric flights of vocal fancy. Excellent stuff indeed. ~ Chris Nickson