by Chris NicksonIt's been five years since Sevara Nazarkhan released her Western debut, which offered a dose of local music. This time around there's far more emphasis on programming and soundscapes -- in other words, it's quite electronic. The first track, "Korgim Kelar," is Sevara as ***** lite -- it has the overall sound, but is not quite as quirky -- but overall it goes downhill from there. It might be lovingly constructed, but somehow it seems to meander and forget some of the melody in favor of sound. The only times when things really perk up are on the Uzbeki classic "Kuigai" and on "Bakhtimdan," both of which sound more organic and fresh. Sevara is an attractive vocalist, but there's very little distinctive here; she becomes part of the sound rather than in front of it. Certainly there's a flavor of Uzbekistan here, but it's not much more than that -- it's just too international. So, although it's fair, it's not outstanding.