Sheherazaad
★★★★
Qasr
ERASED TAPES. CD/DL/LP
Startling introduction to a Californian who merges jazz with RD Burman.
You have big boots to fill if your namesake had a pivotal role as a storyteller in The One Thousand And One Nights, but the San Francisco-born Sheherazaad – her roots are in both north and south India – appears up to the task. Produced by Arooj Aftab, this five-track, 24-minute collection is the perfect calling card (a self-released debut, 2020’s Khwaabistan, may have reached few ears, but they were all influential). Opening with flurries of classical guitar and the slow burn of Mashoor (the singer’s thoughts on the toxicity of fame), it picks up steam and drama with Dhund Lo Mujhe and keeps you on the edge of your seat thereafter. Pick of the quintet is Koshish, which “revamps the surfer genre with Hindi-Urdu and Brown beach bodies”, its glorious melodies and harmonies every bit a match for peak Brian Wilson. Magical.