by Joel Dwek | May 3, 2022 | Reviews
This fusion album reinterprets Turkish folk music through the lens of modern funk as well as the 1970s Turkish rock scene… Based in the Netherlands and comprising of Turkish and Dutch members, Altin Gün (translating to Golden Day from Turkish) have an...
by Danny Wiser | Mar 6, 2022 | Reviews
Tell your grandma to put her earplugs in, it is time for some Middle Eastern punk rock… It feels like whenever Israeli culture is intellectualised or spoken about, it is done in the backdrop of its tangled and complicated geopolitics. Despite being an album...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 18, 2022 | Reviews
Border-defying desert blues by way of Syria, Israel, and Europe is how this stateless rock duo express their musical free spirit… As a music review site based around covering all countries and as many territories as possible, our review of TootArd’s Laissez...
by Danny Wiser | Feb 15, 2022 | Reviews
Hard-hitting political rap music is the order of the day with these Arabic-language hip-hop pioneers When reviewing an album as political as Dabke On The Moon by DAM, we try not to take sides. However, as two Jews with family in Israel and a close personal connection...
by Danny Wiser | Jan 17, 2022 | Reviews, Top Picks
The master of the oud demonstrates his skill not only in his musicianship but also through his production of the record… Around November 2020, having listened to numerous albums that featured the oud front and centre, it is fair to say that I was accustomed to...
by Joel Dwek | Dec 5, 2021 | Reviews
Taking the oud and the music of the Middle East and fusing it with Western genres, Charbel Rouhana has formed an album that is accessible while also intricate… Lebanese oudist Charbel Rouhana’s album Sourat – Trait D’Union is an entertaining modern take on...
by Danny Wiser | Nov 13, 2021 | Reviews
A passable record with some fun tunes, Salah Al-Zadjali’s effort may entertain some and leave others unenthused… Joel: Where to start with this album, really. Or, indeed, where not to. It’s fine. I can’t get too excited about it. It’s perfectly listenable,...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 26, 2021 | Reviews
Indie, ambient, funk, electro, Kuwaiti band Galaxy Juice try to tie them all together in an ambitious album rich with interesting flourishes… Occasionally, one comes across a truly unclassifiable album. While it is nice to dig into a record that gives you more...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 15, 2021 | Reviews
Taking Greek-language pop music and adding interesting elements, Cypriot singer Konstantina’s voice shines through on a solid album… Cypriot musician and singer Konstantina released her album Tha Fygo Me Tous Filous Mou Gia Kairo (roughly translating into...
by Danny Wiser | Oct 14, 2021 | Reviews
Via the The Touré-Raichel Collective, Africa meets the Middle East in a glorious symposium of creative exchange… Collaboration, although a beautiful notion in principle, is sometimes a tricky thing to get right. There is always a risk that ego gets in the way...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 28, 2021 | Reviews
By isolating exactly what makes the music of his homeland unique, Souleyman takes dabke into the 21st Century… Nobody sounds quite like Omar Souleyman. As the album cover of Wenu Wenu suggests, Souleyman is an imposing, distinctive figure, with a thick handlebar...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 27, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Defiance is the order of the day, as technically gifted Lebanese outfit Mashrou’ Leila produce an album that is as enjoyable as it is powerful… In an age of so-called culture wars, feigning interest in a cause or giving off an air of over-appreciation...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 1, 2021 | Reviews
Sounds of the past and the present sewn together, showing off Qatar’s other side In just over a year, the small Persian Gulf nation of Qatar will be at the forefront of everyone’s attention when they host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It could be argued that...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 31, 2021 | Reviews
A Toast to Life features Jewish music that veers from sincere ballads to danceable pop songs, all the while revelling in its essential and unabashed yiddishkeit… Coming from a (more or less) Modern Orthodox Jewish background, the type of Jewish pop music that...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 7, 2021 | Reviews
The father and sons combo that form Trio Chemirani create a deeply spriritual sound, accessible for all humankind… When this project to listen to and review music from every country in the world begun, one driving force behind it was to test out whether the...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 7, 2021 | Reviews
A folk album with a lovely sentiment, Hüsnü Şenlendirici and Trio Chios aim to showcase the shared musical heritage of their two nations… One of the great joys of music is its ability to bring people together, despite other factors that may otherwise divide...
by Joel Dwek | May 24, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Mahsa Vahdat’s sensuous vocals and gentle jazz combine with Iranian traditional music in a beautiful confluence of sounds… Many, though not all, of the musicians we feature as ‘Album of the Week’ tend to be famous, either worldwide, in the...
by Joel Dwek | May 14, 2021 | Reviews
The gulf state’s finest gifts us with a great introduction to khaliji music… Hailing from the United Arab Emirates, singer Mehad Hamad’s 2014 album Matredny Hdood is a very enjoyable set of tunes in the modern Arab pop style, inasmuch as it combines...
by Joel Dwek | Mar 18, 2021 | Reviews
Synths, industrial beats, smart production – it’s electro, but not as we know it My first impressions of Saudi Arabia-based electronic music producer MSYLMA’s debut album Dhil-un Taht Shajarat Al-Zaqum were that it is immediately attention-grabbing and...
by Joel Dwek | Mar 3, 2021 | Reviews
The powerful vocals and contemporary style of this album is what made this such an influence on the Turkish music scene… When Sezen Aksu rose to prominence, she changed the face of Turkish pop music, and became embedded as an enduring figure of Turkish pop...
by Danny Wiser | Feb 7, 2021 | Reviews
Hailing from a nation where pop music production was once a dangerous act, UTN1 have proved themselves to be an excellent boy band in their own right… When writing a review of any artist whose backstory in music is one of oppression, one has to make a decision...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 6, 2021 | Reviews
Balancing poetic lyrics and musical invention, Bahraini pop artist Ala Ghawas shows off his songwriting skills… Bahraini musician Ala Ghawas got his start in making music while he was a Fulbright Scholar studying in Boston in 2007. He released several EPs which...
by Danny Wiser | Jan 23, 2021 | Reviews
A stalwart of Israeli music, Yehoram Gaon shows off his talent in an album of love songs and deeper wisdom… When talking about Israel as a country it is difficult to avoid the elephant in the room in terms of its history that is intertwined with conflict since...
by Danny Wiser | Jan 11, 2021 | Reviews
A whistle-stop tour of rock; Jadal prove themselves to be competent across the whole genre… We all have our own musical biases and I am no different. Whilst reggae, soul, and disco hit me in three different ways, my love for those genres is more visceral and...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 18, 2020 | Advent Calendar
ISRAEL: סְבִיבוֹן סוֹב סוֹב סוֹב (Sevivon Sov Sov Sov) – Hana Laszlo… This charming Chanukah ditty is a kids’ favourite. It describes the traditional Jewish game of spinning the dreidel (known in Hebrew as a sevivon). The legend goes that in the times when...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 10, 2020 | Advent Calendar
LEBANON: لج تلج فيروز- (Talj Talj) – Fairuz… Whilst much of the Arab world do not have a notable celebration during the festive season due to their Muslim faith, one can often forget the region also is residence to those of other faiths including Bahá’i,...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 10, 2020 | Advent Calendar
ISRAEL: Ma’oz Tzur – Yonina… Husband and wife duo Yoni & Nina Tokayer’s cover of the Chanukah classic Ma’Oz Tzur updates an 800-year-old song that has been popularly sung by Jewish communities around the world since the time of its original writing. The song...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 25, 2020 | Reviews
Pindoll have made a promising debut, with much to commend it and many catchy, fun tunes… Over the many, many albums we have found, listened to, pored over and reviewed on this site, there are several types or categories of album that we have identified. Twisted...
by Danny Wiser | Oct 17, 2020 | Reviews
David Broza’s album is full of love, hope, and an important message for us all to learn… As the son of an Israeli, the eternal conflict between Israel and Palestine is one that has always been very close to my heart and plays on my mind often. When my...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 23, 2020 | Reviews
Arik Einstein, the Voice of Israel provides a wonderful soft rock album filled to the brim with beautiful melodies and soothing sounds… The music of Israel is an interesting thing to consider, and we have done so already in our review for A-WA, a band made up of...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 18, 2020 | Reviews
Ambient soundscapes mixed in alongside Indian and Arabic influences, Zahed Sultan’s album provides a chilled out and relaxed listening experience that draws from his cultural heritage… Zahed Sultan is a London-based multi-media artist of Kuwaiti and Indian...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 18, 2020 | Reviews
Yemenite Jewish culture is made accessible through A-WA’s enjoyable electronica album… This album is made by three Israeli sisters, but from the sound of it, you wouldn’t necessarily know that. Israel is a small country with a huge amount of ethnic and...
