Album: Prayer Cycle: Path to Zero
Artist: Jonathan Elias
2011 Across the Universe Records (distributed by Fontana Distribution, LLC and Downtown Music, LLC)
CD: DWT70238

Performed by American Boys Choir, The English Chamber Orchestra and Choir
Orchestra conducted by Lawrence Schwartz

With:
Sting (1)
Trudie Styler (1)
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (1, 5)
Jonathan Davis (2)
Salif Keita (2)
Hakim (2)
Angelique Kidjo (3)
Richard Bona (3)
Yungchen Lhamo (3)
Alex  Ebert (4)
Lilli Elias (4)
Jon Anderson (5)
Richard Bona (5)
Dadawa (Zhu Zheqin, 朱哲琴) (5)
Jim Morrison (6)
Robert Downey Jr. (6)
Sinead O'Connor (6)
Serj Tankian (6)
Joanne Shenandoah (6)
Leah Shenandoah (6)

Howling by "B" (6)

Additional musicians:
Cameron Stone: cello
Stephen Perkins: percussion
Nathaniel Morgan: percussion
Brian Kilgore: percussion


Produced by Vincenzo LoRusso & Jonathan Elias
Mixed by LoRusso
Additional production: R. Walt Vincent, Nathaniel Morgan
Recorded at Phoenix Studios, Wembley, UK; Dadawa Studio and The One Studio, Beijing, China (for Dadawa)
Mastered by Erick Labson
Engineer: Mark Murphy (for Sinead O'Connor, 6), Kerry Smith (for Salif Keita, 2), David Tickle (for "B", 6), Ding Jiang (for Dadawa, 5)
Recording director: Miquia (for Dadawa, 5)
Assistant engineer: Yao Shuo (for Dadawa, 5)
Additional engineers: Mike Fraumeni, Sarah Trevino, Damien Chock, Fritz Doddy

Management: Larry Frazin & Crimson Alexander, Across the Universe
Artistic director: Rosanna Arquette
Associate producers: Robin Raj, Steve Robertson
Album coordinated by Vasilia Hughes, Kelly Gettle

Album art concept: Robin Raj, Citizen Group
Album artwork: Kirsten Kjeldsen, Citizen Group
Additional liner notes: Scott Elias


Tracks:
1. Atomic Mother (8:04)
2. Trinity (10:03)
3. Deliverance (7:44)
4. Many Suns (2:16)
5. Devotion (7:44)
6. Path to Zero (11:59)
7. Awakening (8:52)

music by Jonathan Elias
vocal translations: Alba Quezada
Dadawa's lyric (5): excerpt from the tune of the Song Dynasty, "Crows Crying at Night", written by Li Yu (Southern Tang dynasty)
(1) poetry based on an idea by Gina Giobbi
radio samples taken from Dwight Eisenhower, John F Kennedy, Robert Oppenheimer
Sting's reading (1) primarily from "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes
(5) includes "Moonshine Night", a poem by James Douglas "Jim" Morrison


Notes: (****) Another highly political album from Jonathan Elias, this one promoting nuclear disarmament, with all proceeds to the Global Zero campaign. Musically, it is a sequel to The Prayer Cycle and was nearly 5 years in the making. Khan, Keita, Bona and Lhamo all appeared on The Prayer Cycle. Further guests this time include Sting and his wife, Styler. Lilli Elias is Jonathan's daughter. Others planned, but not eventually appearing include Alanis Morissette. (6) begins using an archival recording of a poem by the late Jim Morrison, with new music added; although previously bootlegged, the Morrison recording had never been officially released.

Anderson's appearance is distinctive, but short and not his best performance. However, as a whole, this is a strong album and worthy follow-up to The Prayer Cycle. Like its predecessor, it's a choral/classical album with big themes. The project was previously known under the names Prayers in Silence and The Prayer Cycle II; it was nearly called Prayer Cycle 2: A Thousand Suns until Linkin Park used that as a title for their fourth album (and Linkin Park's Chester Bennington nearly guested on Elias's album). (HP, 21 Aug 11)

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