Heyma

Abir Nasraoui is a radio presenter, author and singer from Tunisia, based in Paris. Her mantelpiece groans under the weight of degrees in literature, sociology and musicology and if, like me, you consider musical academia to be more often a hindrance than a stimulus to creative innovation, that might sound alarm bells. However, Nasraoui set out to be defiantly original on this debut release and she succeeds, in a manner of speaking. Like many others who have earned their stripes mastering the fiendishly complex modes of tarab or classical Arabic vocal music, Nasraoui turns to jazz for fresh ideas. Tunisian composer Skander Guetari gave her the confidence she needed to venture into the unknown.

For the tarab crowd it'll no doubt strike a radical, even dangerous note. For the rest of us, it comes across as expertly arranged and performed North African jazz chanson, in a similar mould to Souad Massi's later albums. What saves Heyma from mediocrity is Nasraoui's agile and often beautifully expressive voice, as well as the imaginative quality of the song writing. Nasraoui has the talent to reach her goal of creating challenging modern acoustic North African pop with international appeal. Heyma gets her about three quarters of the way there.