The Sway Machinery - Hidden Melodies Revealed (2009)

New York-based world fusion ensemble the Sway Machinery draws on the blues, Afro-pop, funk, and other elements their updated take on traditional Jewish cantorial music. Flavors from the Balkans, Africa, the Middle East, and North America create a heady concoction on HIDDEN MELODIES REVEALED, the group’s debut full-length. Like contemporaries Antibalas and Budos Band, the Sway Machinery favors a bold, complex sound big on horns and polyrhythmic percussion. But it’s lead singer Jeremiah Lockwood’s passionate, prayer-like singing that gives these songs their unique power. From its big band funkiness to its religious undertones, HIDDEN MELODIES REVEALED moves the body and the spirit.