samadust's Full Review: The Journey by Maryam Mursal
Whenever an artist from a country outside of Western society gains any sort of notoriety for their native music one of three things happens.
1.They are totally forgotten by Western Society by the next Summer.
2.They die of some mysterious cause and rumors circulate that it was AIDS.
3.Some huge record company swoops down, changes their image and music,
commercializes them and sets them up as a one hit Summer wonder...... that will be forgotten by Western Society by the next Summer.
This is really upsetting because artists that are accurately representing their culture through music are being ruined by commercialism.
A large portion of the African music industry is based in or funneled through France. As a result, 90% of the African music that is available outside of Africa is Europeanized and Modernized with drum tracks, electric guitars and ridiculous, insulting compositions that sound like something from the Lion King.
In Maryam Mursals 1997 album, with her group Waaberi, entitled "New Dawn" she sang her heart and soul out to the entrancing strums of a Somalian Oud. The Oud, a traditional Middle Eastern stringed instrument that predates the guitar, is played with a special precision by the people from the Horn of Africa. On this album the traditional style of playing was perfectly intact.
The entire album is a live recording complete with applause between songs, and short thank you's from the musicians to the audience. The authenticity of the live recording atmosphere (a small audience in a small room) coupled with the studio quality recording made this album rich and easy to listen to.
Maryam Mursal has a rich, warm, deep and strong voice. Through out "New Dawn" she wails and swoons over songs of love, agriculture and everyday issues relevant to Somalians. The music, while very danceable is more introspective than commercial. More thoughtful and rhythmic than outgoing and worldly.
The entire album is acoustic speckled with clicks and chatters made by the sound of spoons and cups being played like instruments and Hossam Ramzy's wild tabla playing.
Mursals latest album, unfortunately, is the exact opposite though. All of the compositions are over produced and modernized to the point where she sounds like the Somalian Madonna. This was very upsetting. It now has absolutely nothing to do with the music and everything to do with making money. I'm not naive enough to suggest that this will ever change but it will always be annoying.
I don't have very much else to say about the album except that I don't like it. It is just a highly commercialize shadow of what it could have been. I recommend checking out her old album with Waaberi.
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