COMPOSERS: Abdelli
LABELS: Real World
PERFORMER: Abdelli (vocals) & guests
CATALOGUE NO: CDRW 112
A fine voice, quiet and passionate, lures you into vocalist ABDELLI’s latest foray outwards from Algeria. Deft interludes from an international mix of instruments add to the pleasure, yet something doesn’t ring true.
Reading the small print, you’ll discover why: everybody recorded their contributions separately, aware only of Abdelli’s own track. Fusion is about musicians listening to one another, or it’s bogus. Here the musical reactions go one way only.
The album works on a superficial level – it’s generally colourful and catchy – but you can hear the difference without knowing in advance. It’s a shame Abdelli went along with this unhealthy extension of producer power and the appalling, self-deceiving argument that it protects musical roots by closing musicians’ ears.