A dazzling debut of diversity and experimentation by the Saudi Arabia-born, Sudan- and London-raised raised Ethiopian–Egyptian artist, producer, and visual creative, who inventively channels her rich musical heritage, with English, Amharic and Arabic lyrics, blending the traditional and modern, and inspired by the diaspora experience. This striking blend of traditional African and Arab rhythms and melodies, electronica, disco, soul, hip-hop, and R&B is a potent shapeshifting journey, like moving between desert, forest and cityscape and a series of exciting night club rooms. The meditative, beautiful but also feisty City of Symbols (featuring Little Simz drummer eejebee and guitar by the classically trained Vraell) is an immediate, beautiful first standout: “A different colour culture / Designed a living language? / I feel my madness stretch a canvas / Feel my passion kills the anxious / I am the walking living practice,” and captures the hard-nosed transactional cut-and-thrust attitudes urban life: “I know they see me as a dollar”. Runner seductively mixes lively electronic and analogue beats with intertwining vocals. Maktoub features a sample from Ethiopian singer-songwriter Teddy Afro, the song seamlessly slipping between hard-hitting melodies and Alewya’s commanding, razor-sharp rapping flow, one of a mixture of tracks where she lets out her London identity. The raw energy of the catchy dance track Selah sees Alewya really expressing her vocal range, immediately rolling her Rs, over pulsating instrumentation and a low, humming bassline, and summoning sensual lyrics that reflect the move from head to body. “Heart on skank, skipped in lands, clap these hands” she commands. Guttah brings heavy beats and a rock guitar with an Middle Eastern sound. Cairo FM is a fabulous disco track with an eclectic London-African twist. Lingo opens with sensual flutes, Alewya’s voice changing again into a more seductive sound. Eshi fuses tribal sounds mixed with jazz-soul, and the closing title track is an exotic, slowly emerging fusion of her cultures, building layers to a powerful spoken climax. An artist with her own unique blend, bringing out vivacity in variety in this excellent debut. Out on LDN Records / Because Music.
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