Basya Schechter has always had a way of telling a story, but she has never told them as well as on Haran. A diehard interpreter of biblical folklore through a pan-Mediterranean scope since she started mixing guitars with cellos, tablas, ouds and the saz nearly a decade ago, her exceptional songwriting covers a lot of ground. With Haran she pulls from a lifetime of influence and finds ways to work it into the larger scheme. Whereas her previous albums seemed to focus on one or two topics, here she explores an upbringing of the Doors and Led Zeppelin with later loves of Oumou Sangare and Mariam Makeba, sung in a host of dialects: Aramaic, Farsi, Biblical Hebrew, Ladino and English. Instrumentally she proves more diverse as well. Longtime violinist Meg Okara lays long, beautiful notes on "Samai," and collaborators like pianist Jason Lindner and percussionist Mauro Refosco add exceptional and notable contributions. But two in particular stand out: santur master Alan Kushan is magnificent on "Ka Ribon," while kora player Yacuba Sissoko adds that touch of African soul to "Askinu." Schechter is very aware that this album, more than others, is less focused on personal songwriting than the efforts of these twenty-one musicians. What's more is that it works, and works beautifully. This does not detract from her own contribution. Her voice will still stop you silent and awestruck, and her ability to devise memorable melodies remains the selling point of Pharaoh's Daughter. If anything, the stock has gone global, and to imagine what she'll create next will be a process of undeniable ingenuity on her part, and a lesson in patience on our own.

By DB