Portals of Grace - Azam Ali Every once in a while, a piece of unexpected beauty comes along. This album by the singer from  Vas  is just such a thing, mixing Sephardic and Arabic songs with medieval songs from France, Galicia, and beyond. While the idea might sound pretentious, the end product is delicate, heartfelt, and enduring. It could easily have fallen into the new age trap (and the atmospheric keyboard that opens "La Serena" seems to flirt briefly with it), but the playing and singing here are too real and emotional. Nor does it come close to  Loreena McKennitt 's fake Celtic; this is very carefully researched and thought-out.  Ali has a gorgeous voice, the justifiable centerpiece of the record, but partner  Greg Ellis  offers strong, subtle support and the oud playing of Naser Musa is an eloquent joy throughout. Made for love -- no one is going to call this material wildly commercial -- it's a disc to return to time and again. A joy that manages to be both spiritual and earthy at the same time. Tracklist 01 Lasse Pour Quoi 02 La Serena 03 Breton Medley 04 O Felix 05 Ben Pode Santa Maria 06 O Quanta Qualia 07 Sackpipslat 08 Aj Ondas 09 A Chantar M'er 10 Inna-Malak 11 El Rey De Francia