Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

I can see only one upside in the dreadful rumor that Khan has blown his voice, seriously if not permanently--it will inspire entrepreneurs with a conduit to the American audience RealWorld developed and misserved to license Khan's Pakistani plethora. Whatever "hit" can mean in qawwali, the world-music veterans at Shanachie tell us these four extended tracks were selected with care, not grabbed at random. Their pure power somewhat less intense and fanciful than on Intoxicated Spirit, they're a special boon for late converts who never got the point of his crossovers anyway. (Grade - A-)