Lisa Gerrard, the female half of Dead Can Dance, breaks new ground on Duality, her second "solo" CD; on "Human Game" she sings an actual lyric - in English! There's no reason for Gerrard fans to fret, however. Her words are as hauntingly enigmatic as the vocable language she usually employs in her shamanistic quest.
As Gerrard has said in interviews, her style evolved from a desire to "contact the essential person within and invoke the sounds that wake the spirit." Pieter Bourke, who plays oud and Middle Eastern percussion, provides able support for Gerrard's mystical journey.
Most of Duality is built on driving Arabic rhythms powered by Bourke's improvisational oud flights and Gerrard's vocal gymnastics. Bourke has an earthy touch, and the singer has responded with an unusually grounded performance; her vocals are lush, the sounds of a mother, a lover, or a wise old woman.
##### Duality, by Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke: US$16.98. 4AD: on the Web at www.4AD.com/.
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