Nadine Altounji – Enracinées dans l’histoire – Vol. 2.

Following on from the EP The Stories That Tie Us To Trees – Vol. 1, which evoked her Syrian cultural roots in Spanish and Arabic, this autumn saw the release of Nadine Altounji’s Enracinées dans l’histoire – Vol. 2. This time, Caribbean and Latin American materials are added to this Middle Eastern pop creation, contributing to 5 songs expressed in French. We’re in a hybrid zone here, where the musical elements of the Levant do not unilaterally dominate this sensitive proposal, coupled with a most lucid poetic stance, both humanist and feminist. Co-produced by Nadine and renowned bassist and beatmaker Mark Alan Haynes (Janet Jackson, Patti Labelle, Gladys Knight), this EP is a rendezvous with the other, a creation together beyond a living together. A women’s choir comprising Nora Toutain, Sarah MK and Nadia Bashalani take part in this fusion experience, alongside Peruvian percussion by Joseph Khoury and guitars by Assane Seck. Guitarist and oud player of the highest calibre, Nadine Altounji is also the lead singer on this EP, her voice sober and relatively restrained compared to what she does in other languages on the previous EP. This time around, the focus of this global sono has been on crafting the more effective but also more conventional songs put by the Putumayo label.