Aziza Brahim - Mawja (CD)

Sahrawi singer-songwriter activist Aziza Brahim's fifth album Mawja ("wave" in Hassaniya Arabic) is fashioned from a simple but powerful foundational palette: Saharan and Iberian percussion entwining with stately guitars and warm, enveloping bass. Co-produced by Brahim with long-time collaborator Guillem Aguilar, the record from her oeuvre that Mawja most sonically resembles is her revered and graceful debut Soutak (GB 009LP, 2014). That noted, there is a confident eclecticism found here, an expansive take on her vision that even includes a drum pattern inspired by the Clash. Brahim's voice, as always, is a wellspring of deep and resonant emotions. The yearning for homeland. The struggle for freedom. The love for one's elders. The unfurling of time. Waves of history, waves of sound. Mawja.

1 Bein Trab U Lihjar
2 Thajliba
3 Duaa
4 Marhabna 2.1
5 Bubisher
6 Ljaima Likbira
7 Mawja
8 Metal Madera
9 Haiyu Ya Zuwar
10 Fuadi