13. Lhasa de SelaThe Living Road
This may well be the best record ever released. Languid tension and sounds from everywhere that commingle and caress each other sweetly but with their teeth bared. The assortment of textures that bond like a chemical reaction is inspirational. Lhasa’s voice is beguiling when she sings in French, Spanish or English. The sounds that pass from her mouth have the sadness of a thousand years. The tap dancing that provides percussion for ‘Anywhere On This Road’ is magnificently paired with trumpet playing that is downright confounding. I could go on and on but my wrist is aching. I’m sorry to say that I became aware of Lhasa about nine years after she died. I would’ve loved to experience a performance of hers.
