Weġgħat Żgħar

What a surprise to hear an album sung predominantly in Maltese. Infused inevitably with Mediterranean influences, bolstered by perceptible Levantine, Cape Verdean, Latin and Brazilian strains, this is the Maltese singer-songwriter (and music therapist) TroffaĦamra’s first album in her native language. Born in Malta, she moved to Barcelona in 2010 where she lives to this day. The album was recorded back on the island, though, with some of Malta’s finest musicians. The ten songs on Weġgħat Żgħar explore the titular ‘small pains’ by focusing on (according to the press release) ‘the ambivalence of maternity, the inexorable passage of time, the complexities of distance, separation’ and other such knotty emotions (including life far from home) that together reinforce the music’s sweet, wistful quality. The scion of a musical family with evident jazz leanings, TroffaĦamra herself has a lovely singing voice and plays rhythm guitar and clarinet on the album. There are some sparkling moments throughout – some mellifluous cornet solos, vibes harmonising with synthesised sounds on the deliciously melancholic ‘Mifruda Bil-ħin’, occasional excursions into Tex-Mex territory, the beauty of the Maltese language – and the result is a very pleasant surprise.