El Ndjoum

Algerian singer Sofiane Saidi and Mazalda, a rai-crazy band of seven funky exponents of electronic and acoustic sounds, collaborate successfully here, weaving Saidi's searing voice seamlessly into their instrumental palette to create an exciting tapestry.

This is a more organic fusion of disparate instrumental sounds and idioms than El Mordjane, Saidi's first album, released in 2015. The opening track ‘Wahdi Ana W Galbi’ sets Saidi's melancholic and yearning voice against the subdued pathos of guitar and saxophone. ‘El Ndjoum’, ostensibly a rapturous exchange between lovers culminating in one imploring the other to accompany him to the stars, is articulated with a breathtaking vocal dance. An intoxicatingly boisterous brew with touches of Gnawa and Senegalese mbalax rhythms enlivens ‘Yamma’, a homage to mothers. For ‘Saida’, an eloquent trumpet solo, by turns restrained and unshackled, leads to an intense lament expressed in a melody recalling the late, great Algerian singer, Cheikha Rimitti. On some tracks, the quality level drops as unrelenting melodies predominate while neither instrumental colour nor development spice up the material enough. Generally, however, the subtle instrumental shading allied to Saidi's blazing delivery maintains the listener's attention on several levels.