Five years separate the recordings of The Astounding Eyes of Rita and Souvenance, Brahem’s latest album; five years which saw the major upheaval of both Brahem and the oud’s country of birth due to the Tunisian revolution. Even if Brahem did not set out to reflect on the historic events which were unfolding around him, this opus, which is released on 26th February, carries its traces – a way, no doubt, for the artist to question the role of his music in the realities of everyday life. Both in terms of its length (it’s a double album) and its atypical instrumentation (a large orchestra accompanies the oud, which unusually for Brahem often falls to the background), Souvenace is a unique record with a great sense of weightlessness. Here the Tunisian musician shows himself to be a producer as well, a cinematic composer happily abandoning himself in his music. And as is always the case with Anouar Brahem, it’s impossible to put a label on this sublime oddity which you can hear unfold.
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