Fin'amor

In Fin'amor, Lamia Bedioui and Solis Barki are conduits for a great many musical styles, traversing both time and place. To say that the tracklist is eclectic would be something of an understatement. In this fascinating project disparate music is woven together creating a passionate medley of traditional songs, classic compositions and improvisation. Sephardic lullabies, Palestinian wedding songs, classical Egyptian songs, Eskimo melodies, troubadour chants – all and more feature here.

The chemistry between Bedioui's voice and Barki's percussion is central to this record. Bedioui, who was born in Tunis, is certainly a versatile vocalist. She easily manages radical shifs between styles and gives every song the same heartfelt earnestness. Barki is a skilled accompanist and multi-instrumentalist, playing didgeridoo, frame drum, glockenspiel and udu (jug drum from Nigeria) to name just a few. Originally released in 2006, Fin'amor has been completely re-recorded for this 2019 release. Perhaps this album's Achilles' heel lies in overthinking. While there are many beautiful moments on the album, the concepts underpinning Fin'amor are too complex and elusive to give it meaningful depth as a whole.