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Like its predecessors, The Prayer Cycle (1999) and American River (2004), Jonathan Elias' Path to Zero (also subtitled Prayer Cycle) is an album-length orchestral suite punctuated by singing and readings by various well-known guests. In this case, Elias' subject is the atomic bomb, which comes up quickly in the first track, "Atomic Mother," when, over a soundscape of strings and slow, deep drum sounds, and after some qawwali singing by Rahat Fateh Ali Kahn, Sting's wife, Trudie Styler, begins reciting the names of countries known or thought to have developed nuclear weapons. Soon, Sting himself is at the microphone reciting a history of the Manhattan Project and quoting atomic bomb developer J. Robert Oppenheimer quoting from the Bhagavad Gita, "Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds. I have blood on my hands." Sting places particular emphasis on the early testing of the bomb in Native American lands, which he calls the first instance of "environmental racism." "Atomic Mother" turns out to be the most political track on the album, which otherwise opts for more spiritual and abstract explorations of its theme, as the likes of Jonathan Davis, Salif Keita, Jon Anderson, Robert Downey, Jr., and Sinéad O'Connor sing or recite passages over the atmospheric music, and the American Boys Choir adds a solemn, religious tone to the proceedings. Even Jim Morrison, close to 40 years after his death, is drafted in to recite some of his ponderous poetry during the lengthy title track. It's not clear that Elias wants to do any more than reflect on the issues raised by the Atomic Age, so the album is more thoughtful than stirring. It grapples with a big topic, but doesn't come to any real conclusions.
Condition:NEW. Drilled case
TRACK LISTINGS
Disc 1
1 Atomic Mother (8:04)
2 Trinity (10:03)
3 Deliverance (7:45)
4 Many Suns (2:16)
5 Devotion (7:45)
6 Path To Zero (11:59)
7 Awakening (8:52)
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