Kiran Ahluwalia

Sometimes it takes an outsider to reimagine musical traditions. Kiran Ahluwalia came to Indian music from her parents' adopted home of Canada, and on her fourth album she approaches Punjabi folk in a way that liberates it from the electronic tyranny of contemporary bhangra. Likewise, when she turns her voice to ghazal, the result enchants: Ahluwalia manages to sound as intimate and lovely and vocally complex as you'd expect, but the background is beautifully fresh and updated. For anybody who's been intimidated by Indian classical music, Wanderlust makes for a cozy introduction.