Awal Mara

Having made his first instrument as a boy from a tin can and old bicycle brake cables, the blind Moroccan singer-songwriter (and former leader of the band Arabesque) went on to receive formal training in both Arabic and Western traditions, studying oud, qanun, darbuka and ney at the Conservatoire de Casablanca, and then violin and piano at the Brussels academy. Singing in Arabic in an expressive baritone, the ten songs featured here are musically steeped in ancient Berber culture and yet delivered with an undeniable rock’n’roll aesthetic. But this isn’t fusion music. The dominant sound is Erraji’s oud playing, underpinned by Oriental strings. On stage he’s famous for flailing his instrument with Hendrix-styled attack, but it’s all very Arabic. Yet the production by Dave Creffield (who’s produced Embrace and the Kaiser Chiefs) somehow makes the sound highly accessible to Western ears, assisted by the rhythm section of Ben Stephens and Kenny Higgins, who deliver perfectly calibrated Arabic rhythms on a drum kit and electric bass. The most poignant composition is probably the opening title-track, which translates as ‘Love at First Sight’ and features evocative backing vocals from Erraji’s wife, Yasmin. But the entire album is a collection of love songs with captivating melodies that seem to reinforce the message that love – whether spiritual or physical – allows the blind man to see a deeper truth.