Medicine Box - $15.95

Ecstatic, shamanic, surreal, spiritual: Medicine Box may be Rich's most dynamic album yet, an adept blending of technology with the ancient. Cheri Chuang's wordless crystalline voice graces three songs, with traces of Persian inflection. Deep basslines hint at dub, while analog synth skitters and chuffs the outlines of a rhythmic grid, propelled forward by pulsing north African drums. Sustaining guitars bring a psychedelic edge. Cello and reeds echo plaintively in the distance. Rich's sparse piano adds droplets of modal jazz to this dark tea. This release is one of Rich's great great moments. Enjoy deeply and thoroughly.