Mor Karbasi - Daughter of the Spring
|
If you contribute 5 dollars, RootsWorld survives. |
|
Mor Karbasi - Daughter of the Spring
|
|
Mor Karbasi Interest in Ladino music, music that originated among the Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Spain following the reconquista of 1492, is on the rise. Rightly so, since at its best it can be enchanting. Of Moroccan and Persian heritage and currently based in London, Mor Karbasi sings with the same reach and emotion as the finest flamenco and fado vocalists, and her music has similarities to both of those Iberian-rooted styles. On the cover of Daughter of the Spring, she looks like an embodiment of that title, adorned in flowers and quite lovely. The music, similarly, has the feel of poetry-inspiring beauty. As it happens, the inspirations here are chapters from Karbasi’s own life: the musical and spiritual support of her family, dreams and aspirations in childhood, longings of love, a need for fulfillment and the desire to express it all in song. She satisfies that desire in a number of musical settings, from the Spanish twang of the title track and airy atmospherics of “Morenika Sos” to the unexpected electric jab of “Dezile al mi Amor,” (the only non-acoustic song) and the voice-and- palmas purity of “Asentada en mi Ventana.” Guitar, piano, stand-up bass, strings and wispy percussion provide crisp propulsive rhythm as often as melancholic color, but all take a back seat to Karbasi’s increasingly striking voice as the most prominent instrument. She unleashes that voice with particularly shivery perfection on the final two songs, “Volveremos” and “Arvoles,” both love ballads on the surface but lyrically seeming more like quiet shout outs to the Sephardic diaspora. Truly enchanting. -Tom Orr
CD and more audio samples available from cdRoots
|
RootsWorld depends on your support. Contribute in any amount and get our weekly e-newsletter.
Thanks for your support of RootsWorld
|
|
|
