Nader Khan - Water (2015)
Born in India and having settled in Toronto, home to some of the most open-minded Muslims in the world, Nader Khan does revisit here the rhythmic naat of his cultural roots as well, yet his focus is on seeking more unique ways to make nasheed music up-to-date and more in tune with the sensibilities of people around him (Islamic pop, but done differently, as you'll see).
That is why a great deal of his soulful vocals feature flourishes more typical, if I'm not mistaken, of gospel than of other contemporary Islamic pop; the acoustic instrumentation on some of these tracks also remind me of soul and perhaps jazz, so that Nader Khan may address all people of color of NA, even while the lyrics do not all name Allah but sometimes use "God" or "the Lord". However, this is still primarily Islamic music (even while not just the use of instruments is going to be disliked by ultra-"conservatives", but also the lyrics which employ a bit of anthropomorphism - "God smiling..."). Differences of faith aside, you might have to agree this is music done with both heart and craft.
If the graphic design wasn't already telling, the sound production and simply everything about the music is top quality to say the least - some of the best I've heard anywhere in nasheed, and even elsewhere.