Keyeyî

Ali Doğan Gönültaş is the rising star of Kurdish music in Turkey. This album is just him solo, his emotional vocals and delicately plucked tanbur. The album title Keyeyî means ‘Homes’ in Zazakî, the Kurdish language of his region near Tunceli in eastern Anatolia. The first half of the album is four songs in Zazakî and Kirdaskî and the second half is of Alevi songs in Turkish – the tanbur is a sacred instrument used in Alevi ceremonies. There are helpful translations in the booklet. What is beguiling about his music is the directness of his singing, in whatever language, and the heartfelt emotion that comes through the interaction between voice and instrument. “Home is not only an address for me… it is a state of joy, mourning, expression in different languages,” says Gönültaş. These emotions come across in this very personal and intimate recording.