Souad Massi: O Houria (Liberty)

Andy Gill reviews Souad Massi's Ô Houria (Liberty)

Eleven years as an expatriate Algerian have left their mark on Massi's music, in which the strains of Arabic and western influences are more tightly intertwined than for any comparable crossover artist.

That's most evident, on this follow-up to 2005's Mesk Elil, in the track "All Remains to Be Done", where the skirling textures of Mehdi Habbad's oud ride an urgent folk-rock groove, his virtuoso solo skimming the song's surface.

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Souad Massi, Mesk Elil
Souad Massi: Ô Houria (Liberty)

Souad Massi: O Houria (Liberty)

Robin Denselow reviews Souad Massi's Ô Houria (Liberty)

When Souad Massi released Raoui, nine years ago, she sounded like a north African answer to Françoise Hardy, with her exquisite songs of lost love and longing for home. Now she seems to be treading water. The new album is varied but lightweight; her voice is as cool and breathy as ever, but not all the songs do her justice. She returns to her early style with the charming Samira Meskina and Nacera, but is hampered by predictable musical settings, while on Everything I Love it sounds as if she is aiming for the easy-listening market.

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Souad Massi, Mesk Elil

Souad Massi left Algeria for France to become a major celebrity with her unlikely fusion of north African styles and sad, gentle western folk ballads. Now she is moving on. The overall mood is still quietly tragic, and enthusiasts of her gently powerful singing and thoughtful songs will be delighted by Hagda Wala Akter (There's Worse) which deals with the depressing life of a friend back in Algiers, or a personal lament like Khalouni. But like some female Algerian answer to Morrissey, she is clever enough to match bleak lyrics with subtle and increasingly varied musical settings. So on the exquisite Malou, she brings in flamenco influences and on Ilham she provides a vocal reminder of her Berber roots.

You can find the full review here.