My favorite Uzbekistan music

I first heard Sevara Nazarkhan last year opening for Peter Gabriel on his Growing Up tour. Going in not knowing a thing about her, except she was on the Real World label, I expected something good and interesting, but she blew me away. For starters, Sevara has an immaculate voice that she really uses as an instrument. Her phrasing is sharp and crisp, then smooth and flowing together, perfectly matching the song and creating moods without the benefit (for me) of understanding what the words mean. Sevara is a singer songwriter from Uzbekistan, where a woman singing and accompanying herself on a stringed instrument is an ancient tradition. Her music is steeped in this tradition, but has many other qualities as well. Peter Gabriel introduced her by saying her sound was a mix between traditional and modern music, but it’s how she accomplishes that mix that really astounds me. That and the fact she’s a pop star in her native country. Her debut CD on Real World showcases less upbeat and poppy songs, most of them traditional folk songs in fact, but when I saw her perform, she also did songs in a cowboy hat that were decidely more modern without skipping a beat.

Sevara Nazarkhan – Ei Nozanin (Beautiful) 4:14
Sevara Nazarkhan – Yallajonim (My Dearest Song) 4:15
[purchase Yol Bolsin]