Oneness

If the sight of a pan flute on the front cover brings back uncomfortable memories of late-night TV ads for Zamfir albums, and if the sight of track titles like "Open Your Heart" and "Dancing Swans" on the back cover leads you to expect a program of moist new age twaddle, take this advice: grit your teeth and slip this disc in the player anyway. You'll be pleasantly surprised. Damian Draghici is no Zamfir, and his music — though unfailingly pleasant — is never cloyingly sweet. Well, almost never. Yes, the London Symphony Orchestra makes a few cameo appearances, but the arrangements are surprisingly tasteful and are thankfully secondary to the sturdy electronic beats and otherworldly Balkan vocals, jazzy trumpets, and other elements that make this album such a delight. There are a few missteps, like the sludgy "Habaños Days" and the rather saccharine "Bale," but those are easily outweighed by such highlight tracks as the irresistible "Open Your Heart" and the rhythmically complex "Anaconda" and "Crossroads Brothers," not to mention the abstract and downright jungly "Planet Music." It's interesting to note that while the pan pipes themselves are definitely there in the mix throughout the album, for the most part you'll likely fail to notice them unless you're listening hard. Very nice overall — and that is meant in a good way.