Pakistan’s Sabri Brothers command tremendous respect among enthusiasts of Quawwali music, and the two live up their much deserved rep on the soulful and consistently moving Ya Mustafa. Sufis believe that music can and should induce a state of ecstacy and bring one closer to God (Allah in Arabic) — in fact, spirituality is the only concern of this outstanding CD. While a lot of great Middle Eastern music is secular, lengthy offerings like “Khwaja ka Diwana,” the 21-minute “La Illaha” and the 26-minute “Tajdar-e-Haram” are strictly devotional. Because Quawwali material tends to be go on quite a while, the CD format has served as an excellent means of documenting such artists as the Sabri Brothers. Thankfully, Xenophile provides an English-language translation of their lyrics. – Alex Henderson
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