Freed, for a time, from the rest of the ensemble, Gerard Edery establishes an entirely new sound and feel by combining the very best of Sephardic and Spanish influences. Edery goes to town with his elaborate guitar work and mellow baritone voice. His partner Mgridichian is right there with him, ever the master of the oud according to all sources. The first track is really up tempo and quickly plays along on the air with an infectious dance feel. But don’t get up too fast because they take it down several notches in the following number, soothing the savage beast with something akin to a Spanish lullaby. The rest of the songs manage to play somewhere in between through peaks and valleys of acoustic perfection. I probably wouldn’t seek this out, but I’m glad it was handed to me.



