*** This review first appeared in TSMM's January 13th Newsletter, where you can get all the tips, and more, first. ***
I came across Jawhar via his sophomore LP Tasweerah which stepped into deeper musical territory than his somewhat more popular leaning debut, Winrah Marah, a fusion of North African chaabi, a style of music popular at celebrations, with more Western singer songwriting and folkloric styles.
Where Tasweerah invited shades of Americana and a deeper vibe to largely nudge out the overtly saccharine elements of Winrah Marah, Khyoot seemingly takes its inspiration from the genteel, somewhat stoned folk sounds of 1960’s England. Yannick Dupont is still on board taking care of bass and keys, but there’s some vocal assistance from Azza Mezghani who adds some welcome female energy and sweeter tones along the way.
One of my radio heroes, the sadly missed Charlie Gillett who introduced me to so much great music from around the world, once said on his radio program that one of the joys of international music was that he couldn’t understand the lyrics, but just in case your Arabic is a bit rusty the liner notes state, “Khyoot خيوط is the Arabic plural of 'kheet', which means thread, rope, filament. In the more poetic context of the songs of the album, the word 'khyoot' often refers to what is hidden, the invisible connections between us and a powerful, magical source. These threads are what we hold onto throughout the days, the path we follow to transcend reality into creation.”
Whatever the message, I’m more than content with these softly spun, consummately delivered folk tales. Sometimes vibes speak louder than words.
Playlist Companion
Find Jawhar and other deeper folk artists in the Slow Folk Playlist.
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