Souad Massi

[Lotfi-dk]

am sure that not a lot of you have heard about her, so here is some info about Souad Massi



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http://souadmassi.artistes.universalmusic.fr

Souad Massi is a young Algerian artist who dazzles audiences with her stunning voice, music and unique stage presence. Drawn to Western rock and with a passion for more traditional Arab instruments, this heady mix perfuses her songs today, wedding Arabian lutes to Western guitars in a unique blend of lightness and subtlety. A nomination for Best Newcomer at The World Music Awards was followed by a sell out UK tour and a showstopping performace at Womad

Her debut album "Raoui" was greeted with rave reviews:
"Souad’s music defly fuses North African traditions with folk, jazz, and rock accents. While she’s often compared to Tracy Chapman, her musical sophistication and clear and intense vocal style make Joni Mitchell a more telling reference. An outstanding debut."
Observer
Now based in Paris, Souad Massi has had the time to let her second album mature. From the very opening chords of her new album, we are drawn into a world devoid of arbitrary borders. Birdsongs, burbling tablas from Pakistan, gypsy intonations, the sobbing of cellos, ethereal lutes, cosmopolitan folk-rock, Andalusian flamenco… throughout this vibrant, generous album, her nuance-laden voice soars and swoops with a confidence and subtlety that will establish her as a major star.



A simply magnificent record. THE TIMES

Massi’s songs are rendered irresistible by combination of gorgeous melodies sumptuously multicultural instrumentation and a production that glitters. GUARDIAN

Deb proves she is a serious talent in her own right. SUNDAY TIMES


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Souad Massi Tour



April

Wednesday 13 Liege (Belgium)
Thursday 14 Aht (Belgium)
Friday 15 Bruges (Belgium)

May

Wednesday 4 Roma (Italy)
Friday 6 Festival Veyracomusies (87)
Sunday 8 Rouen Grand-Couronne (76)
Monday 9 St Etienne (42)
Saturday 14 Fraga (Spain)
Friday 20 Ajaccio (20)
Saturday 21 Paris – Institut de Monde Arabe
Friday 27 Bayonne (64)
Saturday 28 Ambes (33)

June

Wednesday 1 Japan
Saturday 25 Festival La palene-Rouillac (16)

July

Saturday 2 Laon (02)
Tuesday 5 Agadir (Morocco) 00 212 48 82 18 18
Friday 8 Germany
Sunday 31 Cajarc (46)

August

Saturday 6 Paimpol



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[Kendra1]

i've got her 1st album..very different from what i usually listen to,but she's cool.
do u know if she will be coming back to london?

[Lotfi-dk]

am think she is coming to London at the end of 2005 but am not sure yet. i got her second album today Deb (Heartbroken) with a dvd it amazing have you heard it yet?

[Kendra1]

Originally posted by Lotfi-dk
am think she is coming to London at the end of 2005 but am not sure yet. i got her second album today Deb (Heartbroken) with a dvd it amazing have you heard it yet?

i listened to it a while ago and thought it was good,poss better than 1st if i remember correctly.she's well rated here with folk/world music fans

[Lotfi-dk]

Deb (Heartbroken)
Souad Massi is the kind of singer you just can't help agree with. Deb (Heart Broken) is her second release, and it spans quite a range: traditional Arabic melodies, prayer music, Old World romance, Andalusian flamenco, and various folk musics beyond categorization. There's no mistake at any point that depite the accessible pop essence of the record, it draws its strength from folk music. Deb is music of the people, for the people, period.
Interestingly enough, not too much rai here. Massi has a remarkably soulful and lyrical delivery, direct and effective. Her guitar playing is relatively simple and rarely in the forefront, though there are exceptions, as on “Le Bien Et Le Mal” (”Good And Evil”), where the singer accompanies herself with gently paced arpeggiated chords. Quiet moments like this feel quite personal.
”Ghir Enta” (”I Only Love You”) delves deep into the Portuguese fado tradition, with simple repeating Old World harmonies, lightly decorated guitar lines, and that essential emphasis on emotion – almost to excess, but not quite there. If you don't get a warm romantic feeling from this tune, you might want to hang it up forever. One minute later, it's a rip-roaring flamenco jam, complete with light, insistent rhythms, vocals in Spanish, and a party atmosphere. Remember, Algeria isn't too far from Andalusia. Souad Massi knows this quite well. And no sense in keeping things separate. Pick out the good parts, mix them up, and serve on a friendly platter, well done.
As with most modern African pop, production plays an essential role. Massi benefits from a consistently thick texture that serves as a platform for her voice, the lead instruments, and layers of drumming. Best I can tell from a scrappy promo copy, Erwin Autrique is the individual who deserves the credit for the effective cushion.
You don't categorize Souad Massi. She won't categorize herself, which is the real reason to check out this record. Her conscious blend of folk styles from five continents is going to surprise anyone. It's most certainly a crash course in the many musical tentacles that extend into Algeria. It's not eclectic, it's organic. Dig.

[Lotfi-dk]

Souad Massi: Interview
by Garth Cartwright (January 2002)

Souad Massi burst onto the world music scene in October, 2001 with a performance at WOMEX (the world music expo) in Rotterdam that captured everyone’s attention. At the time her debut album Raoui was only available in France. Although Souad was signed to Island Records the UK branch of Island declined to release Raoui. Fortunately, independent label Wrasse Records stepped in and licensed the album so giving Raoui the release it so rightfully deserves.
While the likes of Khaled and Rachid Taha have established Algeria on the international musical stage, Souad’s sound has little to do with their pumping rai groove. Instead, she sings plaintively over acoustic backings. Nominated for the Newcomer award at the Radio 3 Awards for World Music, Souad did not win but she still came to London to witness the event. This interview took place in her hotel where we pieced together questions and answers in a mixture of her broken English and my minimal French. Souad’s graceful presence and winning smile helped what could have been a difficult assignment.

Q: Welcome to London even if you didn’t win an award.

A: Thank you. It is nice for me to be here and meet the English people who appreciate my music. And to be nominated for the BBC Award is an honour itself.

Q: I take it the success of Raoui has made your life much busier?

A: Yes, I am a little tired. I was not prepared - when you have fifteen concerts to play in a row it becomes hard work - but I am pleased that people like the album.

Q: Growing up in Algiers were you listening to a lot of the music we associate with Algeria - rai and kabylia?

A: No. When I was young I listened to rock, pop, Latin, folk but not traditional Algerian music. The new generation in Algeria is young and listen to R’n’B, rap, rock - the same as the young people in other countries, listening to the new.

Q: You sang and toured Algeria for seven years; firstly with a flamenco band and then with a hard rock band. How successful were you in Algeria?

A: The flamenco band was when I first started out. I love flamenco. The music of Paco De Lucia. The singing of Camaron. But it was difficult for me to sing flamenco and I was much happier with my band Atakor. We mixed rock and folk and played a lot of concerts and were on the TV. But because of the civil war in Algeria they closed the concert halls and when you do music in a poor country you can’t live. So I stopped doing it. I had studied town planning at university and I worked in this.

Q: Is there a danger that the increasing amounts of fusion going on in world music forms will mean the end for traditional musics?

A: Well, I mix the traditional music of Algeria with the folk and rock music so I hope not. When I was young I did not like the traditional music but now I find a way to make it part of my music.

Q: Is it important for people to understand the culture that the music comes from?

A: Yes, I think it is and I appreciate that the English people are very open to Arabic music. In France it was initially more difficult. It is important to know about the other countries. If people care about what’s happening it means we are not alone.

Q: You left Algeria to sing at the festival Femmes d’Algerie in Paris in 1999 and have since taken up residence in Paris. Was it an easy shift?

A: At first it was very hard to me. It was not the same life/language/attitude and you have to change all your habits. In France people are very distant. When I speak I touch people and they jump away, say 'don’t touch'. And the speed of life. And the lack of sun. And it is always raining and the people have sad faces. Now I am used to it but there are other difficulties. I am proud to be Algerian and Muslim but I am a modern Muslim woman and some of the Algerian men in Paris do not like that. They ask me why I wear trousers. Why I do not cover my head. They are caught between Europe and Algeria and end up living in the shadow of both and this is where the fundamentalism comes from.

Q: What do you think of World Music as a category?

A: Yes, my music is perhaps not the traditional kind but I sing in Arabic so I like to be in this niche. And my music is a mix of traditional and folk and pop. I am a seeker - I want to seek out lots of forms of music and I have a lot of ideas for my second album. So, World Music? It’s fine. We are all of the world, yes?

Q: As you largely sing in Arabic many listeners cannot comprehend what you are singing about. Does this concern you?

A: I think they can understand the emotion in the songs. This is more important.

Q: Your album and its first song are called Raoui. Can you tell me what this means?

A: It means 'storyteller'. The song goes 'I want a story/to forget my life/it’s very hard/ to forget my life'. It’s about someone wanting to escape the terrible reality of the war in Algeria.

Q: You sing about the war in Algeria on other songs don’t you?

A: Yes, I sing songs of peace. And I sing of love, of my life, of relationships, of the reality of women in Algeria.

Q: Why do you think the conflict in Algeria continues and remains so brutal?

A: It’s very complicated. There are lots of problems. Algeria has oil and other minerals and I think a lot of the men who orchestrate the conflict are only intent on grabbing as much of these riches for themselves. I do not study politics but songs can carry ideas and I hope in this way I can contribute something positive to Algeria.