Charming Hostess - The Bowls Project (2010)

Charming Hostess have something interesting in mind with The Bowls Project. The inspiration comes from texts found buried in demon bowls 1,500 years ago in Babylon (modern-day Iraq). These aren't the only things here (there's also a take on the traditional "Prickle Eye Bush" [or "Gallows Pole"], for instance), but these texts do make for particularly fascinating and spooky listening, especially as they come set in a variety of frames, mostly veering to the avant-garde although there are definite touches of slightly skewed roots music as part of the proceedings. There are plenty of guests to bolster the six-piece band that's led by Jewlia Eisenberg. The texts here all have a Jewish heritage, offering a cohesion to the project. It's challenging, bringing the women who had these inscriptions made back to life and giving them a modern context. © Chris Nickson