S H I R A N

S H I R A N was born in Israel but is half-Yemeni and half-Iraqi. And that comes through on her self-titled album, which has an Arabic inflection both in the stories it tells and in the instrumentation that accompanies the electro-pop production.

This is the real strength of the album. S H I R A N merges the twangs and melodies of Eastern traditions with Western dance-floor pop in a way that gives this album wide-ranging appeal. It can be listened to as both danceable pop music and a sonic submergence into another culture.

The drawback is that she executes neither with much originality. ‘Zehere’ is the standout track and is enjoyable to listen to, but it can easily be lost in the sea of modern Israeli pop. The DJ Kobayashi and Obas Nenor remixes of ‘Nifrah Farah’ and ‘Zehere’ offer neat house-tinged variations, but are not enough to stop them from sounding a little generic. Still, S H I R A N is thoroughly enjoyable, if not the most memorable listen.