Oakland-based 8-woman World/Folk group Kitka, founded in 1979, performs stunning, emotion-filled songs from the Eastern European folk tradition. Occasional accompaniment, in the form of harp, rebec & vielle, and percussion draws little attention from the voices of these women or their strong material. 19 songs, with text and explanations in the beautiful full-color liner notes, from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Georgia and Bosnia. Kitka's first two releases, "Nectar" and "Voices on the Eastern Wind" are hard acts to follow, but "The Vine" is the group's best yet. Listen to powerful rhythms of the opening cut, the Bulgarian folk tune "Subrali Sa Se Subrali" or have your heart broken by the Croatian lament "Zaspo Janko"--it's all amazing. We loved Kitka's performance at the West Coast Summit, and their recordings are as bell-like and pure as any choral group we've heard. Recommended!

Listen to Shen Khar Venakhi in RealAudio.