World Cafe

This outing from the guitar duo (backed by a host of other instruments, including several winds and percussion) has an intimate flavor, as suggested by the title; one could easily imagine Shahin and Sepehr (with guitars) in the corner of some tiny café somewhere. And in fact, the somewhere could easily be anywhere, as the world-music inflection and occasional jazz (and even rock) touches give the CD a decidedly far-ranging appeal. "Florian's Café" gets your attention almost immediately, with its Latin-style rhythms and wistful melodies. "Letters from Vienna" is an understated, low-key duet; "Nature Boy" has a shuffle rhythm, while "Manhattan Matador" almost (but not quite) rocks out. Overall, World Café has a decidedly Spanish texture, but there's plenty else at work here as well. --Genevieve Williams