A full-length album release from Al Qahwa brings out a beautifully textured and lush soundscape that touches on in Arabic influenced jazz tonality that includes everything from cable harps, flutes, beautiful percussion, and so much more that all getting incorporated into this one vast and impactful record and it's all delivered with such a vivacious character that it's impossible to turn away from.
The Weyn Allah record touches on everything from that beautiful jazz tone to classic singer-songwriter and even folk influence as well as a spiritual and world music approach and so much more and it all manages to build an atmosphere that you just never want to leave.
This record has wondrous layers and an almost fantastical element to it that enables you to really just escape into it for a chunk of time and forget about your surroundings which is quite a beautiful thing because you don't come across that very often so when you do it's incredibly refreshing.
There are so many textures involved with the sounds of this release and it all has this gorgeous sort of heart and spirit to it that in a way lets you feel uplifted and inspired so it really does have an impressive impact.
This is the type of record that you absolutely must listen to from start to finish all the way through because that's how it's meant to be soaked in.
Yes, there are a few tracks here that could easily be singles but they only scratch the surface of the sounds and drive that the record has in full.
One of the things I love the most about this is that it almost felt like a lot of these were recorded live on the floor because of the way the energy levels are throughout the record.
Most of the time it feels almost like the players are feeding off each other's energies the entire time which gives the whole record the feeling of being alive and breathing.
This is something that I absolutely adore, and it lets the record swim around in the air that surrounds you you're able to really just get washed away with everything.
I think this is part of the point of a record like this.
To be able to sort of escape into it and let your emotions feel what they will.
You can tell that this is done by a group of people that have a pure love for their craft and I don't just mean the instruments cutting everything together to release something that has its own influence in its own forward moving flow and color.
There's such a unique set of approaches and energy strewn across the span of this release and you can soak it all in if you want to.
It feels great to just get engulfed in this record and there are more than a few surprises around the corners and layers to be peeled back which is wonderful.
If you were a fan of robust and full-bodied songwriting that combines a slew of natural instrumentation, vocals that are used like instruments, and inventive soundscapes all in all, then this record is for you because not only will you get caught up in all that but you'll find yourself letting the percussion and the rhythms start to move you.
This had a certain flair behind it and that lets this entire project really shine.
And absolutely gorgeous record from start to finish that I'm going to give a 9 out of 10.
Outstanding release.
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