by Ned RaggettAn unusual but strikingly beautiful work, Victorious City features what on the face of it is an unlikely collaboration but which in practice turns out to play to the strengths of both artists. While Dudley's work in classical-inspired spheres is clearly obvious, as her Art of Noise and numerous string arrangements can testify, more explicitly non-Western musical traditions don't immediately suggest themselves. As for Coleman, given his history in Killing Joke, the point would seem to be even clearer, though, in fact, he's also a fine violin player by training. Yet the result of their collaboration, done with a host of excellent Egyptian and Arabic musicians and partially recorded in Cairo itself, the "Victorious City" of the title rivals the exquisite fusions of Peter Gabriel's Passion. The liner notes indicate Dudley … » Read more