Belladonna

Whether as a producer or performer, Daniel Lanois has always sought to unite the earthy and the ethereal, and this collection of instrumentals artfully smudges the line dividing those states. The aptly titled opener, “Two Worlds,” finds Lanois mediating between country comfort and stormy turbulence, his gorgeous pedal-steel sweeps cutting through the track’s dissonant drones. But tracks like “Agave” exhibit a more pronounced Tex-Mex flavour, dissolving brass refrains into a smoky-saloon atmosphere like a mariachi band performing in a slow-motion dream.