The eighth solo outing from prodigious Norwegian fiddler
Annbjørg Lien finds the Ålesund native incorporating elements of rock, jazz, African, and Asian music into her already cosmopolitan sound. Steeped in the circular melodies of her homeland but drenched in the colors of the world,
Khoom Loy is light, hopeful, and altogether unpredictable, employing a small army of musicians with an arsenal that includes everything from bamboo flute and sarod to cello and saxophone. That said, it's
Lien's seamless fiddle work that takes center stage, and when all of those myriad influences collide, whether it's on the dancefloor ("Tareq") or in the soft ambience of a lullaby ("Gode Gut [For Nicolai]"), it's a magical thing indeed. ~ James Christopher Monger