Album Notes

This album has received amazing coverage in major press around the world, including a glowing 4.5 star review from German Rolling Stone. Songlines (UK) described it as ‘Antipodean brilliance’ and awarded it 4 stars. The album spent 4 months in the top 20 of the European World Music Charts after its release in Europe in March 2005 and even entered the top 10 (July, ‘05), which brought this album to the position 23 out of 1051 submitted to the panel over the whole year – a feat never achieved by any other Australian album!
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Jaslyn Hall in the ABC Limelight:
The title of this "Waltz of Emptiness"-CD almost makes my review redundant as it aptly describes the 14 songs on the album. But I'm content to talk about the artist and try to find words to describe a voice that is simultaneously innocent and dramatic.

Zulya Kamalova is from Tatarstan, central Russia, and began performing Russian and Tatar songs at the age of 9. Kamalova settled in Tasmania in 1991 and since then has released three albums. elusive (2002) was nominated for ARIA World Music Album if the Year. She could easily wear the badge of global citizen - her repertoire ranging from Russian lullabies to Brazilian bossa nova and South African jazz.

Her albums feature traditional and original songs, but often with innovative arrangements for an eclectic mix of instruments like kora, oud, tabla, ghatam, bouzouki and kalimba. The Waltz of Emptiness, her forth album, takes a more likely route, with her new band capturing the spirit and whimsy of Russian folk. ... Not being a singer I have no idea how difficult it is to sing in Russian, but Kamalova's notes fall like pearls, twirling and spinning lightly on songs about love and yearning, belonging and leaving. It's a fascinating album from an adventurous soul."
(Jaslyn Hall in the ABC Limelight)