Leni Stern, Finally The Rain Has Come

If Finally The Rain Has Come was just another pop album you would expect it to do well, perhaps charting with the smoochable to Bury me standing. But it's oh so much more, plus the starstudded lineup that includes John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Bill Frisell and Michael Brecker guarantees an outstanding album of music. The subject matter of N.Y. September 11th tackled by a composer of Leni Stern's calibre promises a challenging self inspection. Prose that will prise at the very chinks in your armour. Stern herself had to travel far to get things into perspective. From the lyrics, it sounds like it wasn't an easy trip. However, this is an optimistic outlook for a humankind that reaches beyond the limits of Manhattan. The shockwaves recede. Cleansed by the waters of self re-evaluation, the new old-vibe of love can heal.

Back to the music. Is this the first Western (read English) vocal project John McLaughlin has worked on since James Taylor's One Man Dog in 1972? (Saturday Night In Bombay would be the Eastern exception). John McLaughlin appears on the title track and it sounds like he was given carte blanche; stretching out a wistful (sakshara) alap introduction, curling a few melody-defining licks and settling into a linear jam when the song takes off. The result is his Remember Shakti remote tone twisting in and out of the song's nucleus, hanging back with lingering pedal notes, accentuating string bends and signature modal flurries, skilfully balancing the pan into the front solo space and retreat back behind the vocal. The perfect guest artist who does not steal the show but enriches by their presence. On this track in particular, Zakir Hussain's fire licks at the underbelly, delicately spurring the pace with signature explosive ati drut. Zakir Hussain guests throughtout the album and his ability to interchange rhythms between East and West is amazing. His accented crescendos within the tempo of a popular song beautifully embellish the straight playing of the western drum kit. In his hands tabla is never simply tub thumping. If the album is going to be promoted on tour, one worry could be that being one of the strongest tracks, and given the unique abilities of the guest performers, it will be very difficult trying to recreate the song live for expectant fans.

Some of the anthemic tracks are a little cheesey, like Red Birds, but each has enough vocal aptitude or instrumental content to keep the jazzists happy. Illuminati and quirkiness are not in short supply. Elsewhere, gentle harmonies are coupled with a heavy backbeat in an exciting modern day spiritual and the culmination of the 9/11 theme can be heard in the form of sax and acoustic guitar gently whispering across a struck-down town-filled pillow.

The take-home style is one of melancholy pop ballads and acoustic songs without words, in parts country and folk, commercial with a world music twist and underlying messages of human unity. Stern's singing has a lilt of Sinead O'Connor and hyper-pitching of Dolores O'Riordan Burton from the Cranberries. Amazingly, in her Germanic voice can also be found the drawl of Sheryl Crow and the phrasing of Alannis Morrissette. A rich tapestry indeed.

It hasn't stopped raining here in Scotland all summer, but that hasn't put a damper on my love for this album. Popular beats, insightful lyrics and quirky arrangements make this essential music for anyone looking for water to put out the fire.