Daba

"Lounge og sufi fra unikke marokkanske Oum: Den spændende marokkanske kunstner har virkelig perfektioneret sit udtryk på ny stærk udgivelse ... Oum spillede tidligere en noget tyndbenet gang lounge med hints til gnawa, hassani-musik fra Mauritanien, samt den jazz og soul, som egentlig var hendes oprindelse. Alt det er ændret på denne nye plade, der stopper tiden og signalerer et nyt udgangspunkt. Derfor er titlen meget passende, for Daba er arabisk for Nu ... Oum har virkelig fået glød i stemmen på dette album, og skal du udforske arabisk musik for første gang, findes der intet bedre sted at starte".

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"Oum el Ghaït Benessahraoui, better known as Oum, is an intriguing singer-songwriter from Casablanca. This is her third European release (...), and it's a cool, sophisticated fusion set in which her Saharan and Arabic roots are matched against anything from jazz to electronic trance styles ... The opening 'Fasl' sets the mood, with Oum's laid-back, gently soulful, acrobatic and jazz-edged vocals matched against a wash of electronic and throbbing electric bass before trumpet and sax move in. Elsewhere, there are oud solos, a bluesy edge to the gently hypnotic 'Rhyam', and a change of pace with the more upbeat 'Ha' ... Oum sings in Darija, the everyday dialect of Moroccan Arabic, but translations are thankfully provided for songs that deal with anything from the healing power of nature to the plight of the dispossessed ('Laji': "The refugee comes as God's guest, but nobody cares"). This is worth checking out".