On Our Way

Based in Istanbul and led by the powerful singer, percussionist and composer Michal Elia Kamal (born in Israel to Iranian parents), Light in Babylon began its life as a street band in the busy Istiklal Caddesi of the Turkish metropolis. The trio of Kamal, French guitarist and oud player Julien Demarque and Turkish santur player Metehan Çiftçi honed their skills on an audience of hurried walkers, and one feels still the energy of the street in their strongly rhythmic pieces. That said, they are also capable of delicate ballads like the opening ‘Sea of Salt’, featuring vocal lines etched on the silvery filigrees by guitar and santur.

This is their fourth album, and the strongest to date, with additional support by Scottish percussionist Stuart Dickson and French-Iranian bassist Priam Arnoux: the addition of bass and percussion leads to a more dynamic presentation. Sung in Hebrew, Turkish, Persian, Arabic and Ladino (the Spanish-derived language of the Sephardic Jews), the repertoire includes originals as well as classic songs from the east Mediterranean, celebrating and updating their shared cultural legacy of makam-based melodies and embellishments. Kamal's rich voice relishes in the different language colours, exploiting them to the maximum dramatic effect, without nodding to nostalgic, Orientalistic atmospheres.