Lhasa de Sela

Lhasa (Nettwerk)

By Erin Lyndal Martin
Published: August 1st, 2009 | 12:47pm

Lhasa,

the third album by Lhasa de Sela, marks new territory for a musician known for her global and historical influences. While

The Living Road

(2003) was a tempestuous affair in which de Sela breezed through lyrics in French, Spanish, and English, Lhasa is entirely in English and honors folk, gospel, and blues roots.

De Sela replicated those genres’ rawness by recording Lhasa live and on tape, leaving little room for digital editing. Such bare arrangements showcase the instrument-like quality of her voice; comparisons to Astrud Gilberto, Nico, and Mia Doi Todd are all apt. Most of the songs are slow numbers full of flamenco-inflected arpeggios, making the album more monotonous than de Sela’s earlier work.

Lhasa may not be the best example of de Sela’s broad palette or vocal pyrotechnics, but it shows a new side to her while evoking earlier chanteuses who seduced with the same achingly refined loss and desire.

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