Since her 2015 debut Bird Under Water, Pakistani American singer Arooj Aftab has honed the delicate cadence of her voice in increasingly minimal settings. On that album, she embellished yearning Urdu poetry with traditional instrumentation such as the sitar and bansuri, along with drums and cajon; 2018’s follow-up Siren Islands experimented with a layered synth backing. Her breakthrough album, 2021’s Grammy-winning Vulture Prince, reduced the percussion further, instead opting for the ornamentation of violin, harp and double bass.
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On her latest record, Love in Exile, Aftab collaborates with jazz pianist Vijay Iyer and synth player Shahzad Ismaily, balancing her melismatic voice between entirely percussion-less, almost ambient soundscapes. The trio formed in 2018 and developed their sound through improvisatory live shows. That same intuitive process informs Love in Exile, with each of its seven compositions building undulating textures as if establishing an onstage atmosphere: the opening three minutes of To Remain/To Return features Ismaily’s keening synth trills and Iyer’s slowly developing piano phrase without a whisper of Aftab’s voice; Sharabi luxuriates in creating a 13-minute dark and angular synth palette.
When Aftab does sing on these tracks, the effect is striking. Iyer and Ismaily’s long instrumental passages lull the listener into their melodic dialogue and Aftab’s skill is in entering the frame to command attention without disruption. She fits seamlessly into the topline melodies of Sajni and soars on Haseen Thi, while Eyes of the Endless sees her matching Iyer’s Rhodes chords with a husky vibrato. Love in Exile is ultimately the sound of a trio playing in gentle harmony. While Aftab’s voice is a focal point, Iyer and Ismaily allow it the space to sing, rather than compete with their voicings. There is scope for flashes of greater dynamism but in their consistency, Aftab, Iyer and Ismaily reveal the beauty in quietude.
Also out this month
Brazilian guitarist and singer Rogê releases a sun-dappled, strings-laden debut, Curyman (Diamond West). Channelling the rhythmic spirit of tropicalismo, the album soars thanks to Arthur Verocai’s orchestral arrangements. The debut release from French Ghanaian singer Pö, Cociage (Nyege Nyege Tapes), fuses industrial, techno-hardened electronic drums with melodic ambience and defiant vocals into an engaging if unpredictable mishmash of energetic styles. A posthumous release from Malian singer Ali Farka Touré, Voyageur (World Circuit) is a welcome reminder of his evocative voice and accompanying lyrical guitar playing with highlight Cherie featuring Oumou Sangaré.