Iranian singer Azam Ali’s career has been a versatile and dynamic journey, seducing diverse artists and adoring fans time and again with her epic, nearly otherworldly voice. Studied in various Middle Eastern and Western classical vocal traditions, she first made a name for herself alongside percussionist Greg Ellis in the duo Vas. Striking out on her own, she joined Persian electronica trio Niyaz, alongside producer Carmen Rizzo and multi-instrumentalist (and now husband) Ramin Loga Tarkian. In between these ventures she released two solo outings, appeared on the soundtrack of the mythological masterpiece 300 and played alongside acts like Mickey Hart and System of a Down.

Her third solo record, From Night to the Edge of Day, consists predominantly of lullabies, collected by friends for her newborn son, Iman, to whom she found herself singing to sleep on a daily basis. The album ranges from a zither-fueled and percussive Turkish folk song, “Dandini,” to the ambient Farsi track, “Mehman”.

To Ali, music is a political force as well—she specifically chose songs from the Iraqi Kurds (the slow, building waves of “Lai Lai”) and Iranian Azeris (the melodic “Shrin”) to promote peaceful tribal relationships in the Middle East. Listening to records like this, the prospects of social resolution are that much closer to realization.