Wadi Al-Safi and Sabah Fakhri are two of old-world Arab music's finest singers; multi-instrumentalist Simon Shaheen leads Qantara through a series of twisting, stirring arrangements. It's a theoretically luminous combination, if not always a successful one. Shaheen is occasionally too contemporary in his approach to really lend the singers anything more than cursory support on this live set. The tension, while not always evident, is nonetheless constantly simmering. A historical event with mixed results. ~ Michael Gallucci, All Music Guide
