originally released sept 2002 re-released 2007 with 5 bonus tracks recorded in Hungary with Nikola Parov in 2003 Continuing to blaze new trails for contemporary world music through the steppes of Tatarstan – a territory where even the most intrepid listener usually fears to tread – Zulya brings us an album of her own exquisite songs, inspired by both the music of the world and by her Tatar heritage. Quote: ” ..(songs from elusive) oozed beauty, drama, sadness, bonhomie and peasant wisdom in equal measure.” – John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald. Zulya’s new album is an affirmation of her unique identity, but an affirmation of the progressive type, and most definitely not of the conservative type! It is a step forward, and a bit to the left, of her previous, more traditionally Tatar work featured in Aloukie. Her music reflects not only the cultural wealth of her background – Tatar, Russian, Australian – but also an ongoing fascination with experimenting with timbres and styles, manifested in employing of a diversity of unusual instruments and instrumentation (kora, oud, bouzouki, litungu, jaw harp, kalimba, tuba, flugel horn, saxillo, tabla, ghatam, violin, accordion, and others). In command of this formidable array of instruments are some of the best musicians in Australia: Blair Greenberg, Llew Kiek, Epizo Bangoura, Davood Tabrizi to name a few. Be prepared to hear everything from a Balkan-tinged love song (complete with tuba, trumpets and accordion), insomnia, to a West African kora lullaby, cradle song, and the eastern sounds of jaw harp, oud and ghatam (pot-drum) on late again. The unorthodox and sometimes adventurous arrangments on elusive are nonetheless delicately sparse, and above all there is Zulya’s achingly beautiful voice – pure and powerfully commanding in delivery. Musicians on the Album: Andrew Tanner – double bass (3, 5); Blair Greenberg – guitar, jaw harp, ghatam, surdo, tabla, various percussion; Carolyn Johns- tuba, baritone horn; Davood a Tabrizi – violin (col legno), daayareh; Epizo Bangoura – kora; Jonathan Zwartz – double bass (6); Llew Kiek – slide bouzouki, oud, slide guitar, bouzouki; Martin Tucker – litungu; Paul Jarman – flutes, saxillo, piano; Randal Muir – piano accordion (7); Stoli Petrovski- flugel horn, trumpet; Svetlana Bunic – piano accordion (5); Zulya – vocals, balafon, kalimba.