- Brisbane’s six piece band Mzaza, are known for incorporating traditional melodies from the far-flung corners of Europe, accompanied by the violin, accordion and darabuka, and mostly sung in French and Ladino. Their last album Journey Over Skin was mostly comprised of short fast songs, but this new release sees the group stretch it out a bit.

The opening track, Enfants Du Chemin (Children of the Road) establishes Mzaza’s strengths: adapted from a Macedonian melody, carried by Greta Kelly’s exquisite violin and Stephen Cutriss’s accordion between the verses, rhythmically maintained by Jordan Stamos’s darabuka, John Robertson on guitar and Chloe Ann Williamson on double bass. The French vocals of Pauline Maudy ride over the top.

Sometimes Mzaza start a song slowly and increase tempo, Nightwatch is an example. Opening with the disconcerting sound of a horsehair being dragged across the violin strings, building up a head of steam, it gets airborne by the home stretch.

Having, nominally, become used to her multi-lingual dexterity, it’s still a bit of a shock when Maudy starts singing in English on the title track, one of several original songs on the album written by Cuttriss with lyrics by Maudy.

The album’s title refers to the theme of ancestors travelling to new lands and what they leave behind. It’s inspired by the family histories of some of the band members, who have roots in many lands, including Greece and Turkey or amongst the Spanish Sephardic Jews. The theme is reflected in the album’s inner artwork, a photo from circa1920 of some wildly decked-out musicians from Anatolia (now Turkey).

It’s even more of a shock when a male voice suddenly appears at the start of Dying To Dance With The Devil, a Serge Gainsbourg song. Michael David, is one of the many guests who add that something extra to individual tracks. Andrew Bonetti plays the cimbalon, a Balkan instrument played with small hammers banging on strings, on Nightwatch. Linsey Pollak blows his gaidanet on Ansi Ansi, and Michael Taylor plays the Arabic lute, the oud, on two songs bringing a Turkish, Middle-Eastern flavour to the table.

Esta Montanya D’enfrente may be the best slow song Mzaza have done, a traditional Ladino song given particular atmosphere by Cuttriss’s ney flute and Kelly’svertically-bowed shah keman. However they save the best of all ‘til last, with Fire In My Blood, which has origins in a Turkish traditional piece. In Mzaza’s hands it steadily builds up to a show-stoppingfinale.

Brisbane is not often the sort of place where you'd assume the multicultural melting pot is bubbling at a full boil. Ghosts, however, neatly dismantles the town's bogan stereotype. It is a diverse collection and a highly enjoyable second studio album from a unique and uniquely diverse band.

- Garry Williams.