Dance artists have been weaving ethnic sounds into their mixes for a long time now, but few bring Cheb i Sabbah's ardor for the source material. On Devotion, there are only sparse cues you're dealing with a dance artist at all. As on past releases like 2002's Krishna Lila, Sabbah stays out of the way to let sitars and tabla rhythms drive the music instead of beats and basslines. He doesn't mix so much as round out the material, adding integrated production cues to perk western ears up around patterns and phrases. The repetition of Middle Eastern ragas and drones conjures a relaxed trance state, and Sabbah's delicate touch only accentuates those pre-existing ambient textures. Devotion, while very much in keeping with that strategy, tweaks it somewhat with a softer, lither feel. There is still dark mystery on songs like "Aaye Bhairav Bholanath" and the minimalist, record-closing title track. But songs like "Koi Bole Ram Ram" and the dub-influenced "Haun Vaari Haun Varaney" have an airy quality, and that light-headedness defines the record. There is ample material here for other adventurous DJs to build on, but the gracious tranquility cultivated here stands just fine on its own. -Matthew Cooke
