RECOMMENDED RECORD: Arooj Aftab: Vulture Prince Deluxe Edition (vinyl only)

From time to time Elsewhere will single out a recent release we recommend on vinyl, like this one originally released in 2021 which now comes on heavyweight vinyl as a double album with an additional track not on digital platforms.

Check out Elsewhere's other Recommended Record picks . . .

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This beautiful album – which was in Elsewhere's best of 2021 selection – exists in a space between the spiritual music of the Indian sub-continent (she sings some songs in Urdu), a kind of holy ambience and a touch of dub on the hypnotic Last Night from a poem by the Persian poet Rumi.

There is Gaelic harp from Maeve Gilchrist (who was Brooklyn-based, Saudi-born Pakistani Aftab's contemporary when they studied at Berklee), a string section on Diya Hai and gentle synths, violin, double bass, guitar and flugelhorn discreetly deployed on gorgeously meditative songs.

This wasn't the album Aftab originally planned but after the deaths of her younger brother Maher and friend Annie Ali Khan she edited herself, took out most of the drums and harmony vocals to present something slim-line and intimate which had a quiet healing quality.

We bring it back to attention now because the new double vinyl edition has an extra track, Udhero Na featuring Anoushka Shankar on sitar, which closes the album in an appropriately reflective manner.

Beautiful album, whichever version you hear.

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You can hear the original album (without the Shankar track) at bandcamp here. Our original review from 2021 is here