Each song is given equal care and presentation and becomes a celebration of not just that song but of life. It is as if Pharaoh's Daughter has followed the Hassidic idea of music being a means of expressing praise for life and creation and expanded upon it. Perhaps thinking of their music in terms of how some of the best Black gospel music sounds will give you the right idea of the spirit behind this music.
Obviously the two styles of music sound nothing alike, but what's important is that you understand the motivation for singing is the same. Maybe Pharaoh's Daughter aren't necessarily singing in praise of God, although only one song on Haran is not specifically religious, but their fervency for the music is such, they might as well be.
Haran by Pharaoh's Daughter is one of those rare discs where the combination of ancient music and traditions have not suffered being carried out of their time and into ours. Perhaps it's because their shepherd Basya Schechter (she did the majority of the adaptations) was raised in an environment where similar music still lives on as it has for centuries. You might be able to take the woman out of the Hassidim, but you can't take the Hassidic out of the woman completely. And for that we should be counting our blessings.
If you want to hear music from the cradle of civilization, the birthplace of Western and Arabic cultures alike, played as you've never heard it before, perhaps as it is meant to be heard today, pick up a copy of Haran by Pharaoh's Daughter. You will be moved like you have rarely been moved by music.
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