I was reading an interview with Jim White somewhere, and he was asked who he'd like to collaborate with. He answered by saying something to the effect that there are only a handful of musicians out there who are totally in tune with the spirit; hitting the very essence of the soul or something along those lines. One of the ones he mentioned was Anouar Brahem. I got the CD, and to say I'm blown away would be an understatement. Brahem comes from Tunisia, which has seen the Romans, the Spaniards, the Phoenicians, and god only knows what other cultures, sweep over their beautiful land on the Mediterranean at the edge of the desert over the millenia. Brahem conveys all that and more without uttering a single word.