"Ali’s velvet vocals convey both sensuality and devotional ecstasy." Songlines

"Ali makes music seem so effortless, so much so that it’s becoming harder and harder to distinguish between her person and the music that she creates. Another beauty from a woman fully deserving of that adjective." The Huffington Post

“Their journey across oceans can be heard in their music…this is an interesting blend of modern electronica with traditional folk songs and Sufi mysticism…Los Angeles meets New Delhi meets Tehran.” National Public Radio (NPR), Weekend Edition

“The release continues Niyaz’s important imprint on the still-growing canon of world music.” San Francisco Chronicle

"At the time of writing, this album is top-permost of the pop-permost in the World Music Charts Europe and it’s not difficult to see why. With their striking lead singer and musical mix of ancient and monder, this Iranian-US trio tick all the right boxes for a 21st century world music sensation." - fRoots

“It’s the format of Nine Heavens that’s most striking: two discs, the first mixing the music of Persia, India and Turkey with Western electronics and rhythms, and the second going absolutely acoustic. In a flawless mix of past and present – one to move your tail, the other to feed your head.” Global Rhythm

“Nine brilliantly textured arrangements of traditional Sufi verse from Turkey, Persia and the Indian sub-continent in which laptop programming and ancient hand drumming are balanced with a perfectly maintained tension that makes so much else of what passes for contemporary world fusion sound clumsy in comparison. Just as good – some might argue even better – is the second disc, consisting of acoustic sessions of eight of the same pieces recorded with a bunch of guest musicians in Istanbul on bendir, darbuka, daf, tombak and tabla, alongside the haunting Indian bonsuri (wooden flute)… On both discs, Ali sings in a stunningly sensuous voice that combines emotional power and subtle nuance.” Songlines (4 out of 5 Stars)

“Torkian’s masterful playing on a variety of stringed instruments (guitar, viol, saz, rabab), Rizzo’s poignant ear for tasteful beats, and the centerpiece — Ali’s gorgeous vocals — keep this band on top of their game as the Persian world’s most inventive and courageous band.” _ Conscious Choice

"Nine Heavens is the kind of album you want to make an experience out of listening to… Nine Heavens finds the group sliding even deeper into the roots of their music, and makes no compromise on quality." Properly Chilled

“The most immediately striking thing about the album is Ali’s voice: her angelic, ghostly tones are at their strongest here and it doesn’t take long to realize how much of that strength is brought to the fore through a rich weave of string, percussion and wind instruments emboldened with cavernous modern production. It’s marvelous stuff, seeming to yearn for something just out of reach and yet grabbing hold of a spiritual clarity that’s alternately revving and calming… Highly recommended.” World Music Central

“A second release of state-of-the-ear Persian/Indian/Turkish fusion, featuring vocalist Azam Ali, she of the soaring pipes, and composer/multi-instrumentalist Loga Ramin Torkian. There’s a lot of this sort of thing around but these artists are among the best." _ The Beat

“Age-old traditions come alive in a sound as contemporary as today on Niyaz’s new album.” Express Milwaukee