In review--Buddist Duo
World Yungchen Lhamo & Anton Batagov Tayatha Cantaloupe Music In 1998, I attended WOMAD USA and witnessed an entrancing performance by Tibetan vocalist Yungchen Lhamo on a small stage. I witnessed a second performance by the vocalist, equally mesmerizing but on the main stage at WOMAD USA in 2001. Although I acquired Lhamo’s recordings 2nd and 3rd), on the Real World label, I didn’t care for the musical production on the recordings which buried Lhamo’s vocals underneath high-end guitar washes and programming. Lhamo has one of those voices that works best in an a cappella setting or lightly framed by a single musical instrument. Fortunately for us, the vocalist paired up with Russian classical pianist Anton Batagov on the recording, Tayatha where the musicians read each others' instincts. Batagov’s piano though light on the keys possesses shades of virtuoso and waxes musical poetry. The piano and vocals show up...