Sevaramusic, £11.99
After bouncing onto the international scene in 2003 with a tasteful folk-fusion album for Real World, the self-styled Uzbek Spice Girl rather disappeared from view. Here she returns in full-on traditional mode, with a set of long, meandering Uzbek classical songs, backed by an artfully arranged assortment of whirring, jangling, wailing instruments. If her vocal artistry isn’t in doubt (she is conservatory-trained), the mood of unremitting stoic yearning is all part of the package of a pop diva gone serious.
