Arooj Aftab is a young prodigy of Pakistani origin who has lived in Brooklyn since she was 18. This is the second album from this singer-songwriter (and what a singer!). Six years after Bird Under Water, her music is taking wing again and soaring even higher with Vulture Prince. She had hoped that this release would be filled with light and joy: but a family bereavement got in the way. Her younger brother and a journalist friend both passed away as she was writing this album. The young woman set out to find a connection to life after death and to pay tribute to them. The album is dedicated to her brother Maher and the track Saans Lo is based on a poem by her friend Annie Ali Khan, with whom she had long been planning to collaborate. Arooj Aftab draws strength and originality from the blend of her mixed heritage. Her singing voice is inspired by the Indo-Persian traditions of earthly and divine love songs, by the ghazal form, and by Sufi poetry. Last Night is based on a poem by the founder of the whirling dervishes Jalâl ad-Din Rûmî, while Mohabbat is written around verses by Urdu poet Hafeez Hoshiarpuri. Musically, Arooj Aftab borrows deftly from jazz and mystical electronic music, which provides a perfect foil for her heavenly singing. Track after track, the music's radiance offers comfort and pure, deep euphoria. © Benjamin MiNiMuM/Qobuz