Erran Baron Cohen may never climb out from under his brother Sacha Baron Cohen's unmistakable Borat-shaped shadow, but
Zohar, his worldbeat trance band, represents a better-than-respectable effort.
Do You Have Any Faith?, the outfit's sophomore album and its first since scoring Borat, the film, is a captivating disc that draws on Middle Eastern mysticism and soul; if that makes it sound heavy, it's not. Mostly, these ten tracks shimmy and groove at a pace that prompts spontaneous, free-spirited movement. From one moment to the next you encounter gruff rasta vocal stylings and then super-smooth Kiwali ones ("From the Silence" and "Raga" respectively), but that's part of the charm;
Baron Cohen crafts a cogent fit out of disparate but deeply interesting pieces. If you don't experience
Do You Have Any Faith? of your own volition, expect to encounter it at hip boutique hotels and swishy spas -- cutting edge and cool are its calling cards. ~ Tammy La Gorce