COMPOSERS: Muthspiel,Youssef
LABELS: Material Records
ALBUM TITLE: Glow
PERFORMER: Dhafer Youssef (voice, oud); Wolfgang Muthspiel (guitars, violin)
CATALOGUE NO: MRE 019-2
Glow reunites Tunisian oud player/singer Dhafer Youssef and guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel for the first time since Youssef’s 2001 release Electric Sufi. The latter’s ambitious stylistic gamut returns in pared down, more emotionally immediate collaborations, with fewer musicians who play less yet say more. All ten songs flow from one into the next in the manner of a suite. Muthspiel’s spacious ballads feature economic melodic lines and chords that hang in the air. Tom Harrell’s imaginative trumpet and flugelhorn turns further elevate the arrangements. But the true binding agent rests in Youssef’s vocal melismas, ranging from lyrical musings in the tenor range to falsetto skywriting that leaves you wondering when he’ll take a breath. A ‘glowful’ experience awaits you.
Youssef, Muthspiel
Glow reunites Tunisian oud player/singer Dhafer Youssef and guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel for the first time since Youssef’s 2001 release Electric Sufi. The latter’s ambitious stylistic gamut returns in pared down, more emotionally immediate collaborations, with fewer musicians who play less yet say more. All ten songs flow from one into the next in the manner of a suite. Muthspiel’s spacious ballads feature economic melodic lines and chords that hang in the air. Tom Harrell’s imaginative trumpet and flugelhorn turns further elevate the arrangements.
Published: January 20, 2012 at 4:07 pm