Luna

Album Review

Woman, ceremony, and the allure of evening form the basis for this voluptuous and mysterious album. Gabrielle Roth's Luna begins with "Mother Night," a tapestry of layered percussion, from the deep toms to the metallic twang of the berimbau. Allison Cornell composed the stately yet sensual "Persephone's Song"; her violin skitters and slithers, while her viola offers thick chords played against pelvic bass beats. "Seducing Hades," with its angular staccato rhythms, is the funkiest cut on the album; the vocal apparitions of Cornell lend a ghostly air. World fusion artist Jai Uttal composed "Elusinian Blue"; Uttal's holy chant and stringed dotar give the piece its distinctive Indian flavor, while Gary Thomas' didgeridoo adds camel-like drones. "Labyrinth" features complex layers of crisp syncopated rhythms; featured are Kevin Ansell on balaphone and Joy Plaisted on harp. Luna ends with the title cut, a showcase for frame drum (Hearn Gadbois) and jimbae (Gordy Ryan); Arthur Hull plays the mysterious John Welsh bell, T.M. Stevens holds down the funk on the Warwick bass guitar, and Cornell entices celestial spells on the violin. Ceremony, consecration, and sensuality combine easily on Luna. It's no wonder this is Roth's most popular albums.