Cheb I Sabbah maintains a unique approach to world fusion on "Devotion", his seventh CD for Six Degrees. Sabbah emphasizes the source much more than the mix, and keeps himself in the background, more like a host introducing world culture, than a DJ playing with a new sound for the dance floor.

1. Jai Bhavani
2. Koi Bole Ram Ram
3. Kinna Sohna
4. Qalanderi
5. Haun Vaari Haun Varaney
6. Morey Pya Bassey
7. Aaye Bhairav Bholanath
8. Devotion

Sabbah's synths are always present, but they remain in the background to support the singers and contribute to the music's exoticism (to Western ears).

He will use loops, but rarely adds elaborate effects, while the beats are recorded largely from actual musicians using hand percussion. The strength of the bass varies on different cuts, but even when it is a bit heavy, it is sympathetic to the rest of the music.

Devotion centers around a number of male and female East Indian vocalists. There are over twenty other supporting musicians and choral vocalists. The eight cuts vary from over six minutes to ten in length, giving them a chance to develop a trance-like effect.

Vocal music from India still remains something of a mystery to most Western listeners, and playing to this fact or not, Cheb I Sabbah makes his sound a bit more accessible to Western tastes, but not too much. Seeing as only one song, the title track, bears an English name, Sabbah seems to feel that the mystery and the beauty are more important than familiarity, and Devotion is more than enough proof that he takes the right approach.

~ Dave Howell

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