There are some instruments that seem to weep as soon as you touch them, and the Chinese erhu is one of them. Called a niko in Japan, it's a two-stringed instrument held in the lap and bowed like a violin. Played with lots of vibrato and note bends, the erhu's keening voice is one of yearning, loss and suffering with a distinct penchant for sentiment. It doesn't need much help in wrenching out emotions, so when producers Kazumasa Yoshioka and Seiichi Kyoda from the group Uttara Kuru, drench it in orchestral strings, it's like spooning sugar onto a hot fudge sundae. That's the foreboding scenario of the first track on Rainbow. The title track virtually slips out of the CD changer, skidding on the syrup. But Fang, a Chinese musician living in Japan, quickly regains his footing for "Light Dance," sending his erhu across a landscape of tablas and acoustic guitar. Rainbow alternates between this more evocative world fusion and soporifically sweet tracks. The vibrant dance of "In the Garden" is quickly washed by the nostalgic strings of "Night in Beijing". The wistful yearning of "Dawn", a spare duet with pianist Naoyuki Onda, shows that Fang and his erhu need little help in tugging the heartstrings. --John Diliberto