Possibly best known over here as a one time diva of fusioneers Trans Global Underground, Natacha Atlas has become increasingly big news around Europe, picking up a Best Female Singer at the Victoire De La Musique - France's mouthful-tastic equivalent of The Brits - and collaborating with Jean Michel Jarre at, where else?, the pyramids of Giza.
Recorded in Cairo, this is Nat's fourth solo outing, and quite possibly her best so far. Mixing up beats, scratches with traditional elements to create a nu-North African sound that pays wise respect to its influences, focused in with contemporary elements adding a level of groove making a very desirable noise.
Natacha's talent lies in having a healthy disregard for cultural barriers and the like, allowing her to carve out several continents worth of sound into her own pleasing image. 'Ayeshteni' could find itself soundtracking a dinner party.
Highlights include her version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' 'I Put A Spell On You' - last heard gasping for its life at the hands of Sonique - recreating it into a funky, sphinxly groove, which is also her second ever English vocal and could quite easily crossover into a birrova pop hit, and a re-take of Jacques Brel's 'Ne Me Quitte Pas' (or If You Go Away, Frenchphobes), which will go some way to securing her another clutch of Victoires.
Add to this a selection of very poppy, very Eastern tunes such as 'Mish Fadilak' and 'Shubra', there's some deft modern beats'n'touches on 'Lelsama' and 'Ashwa' beefing up the grooves, and the very seductive 'Fakrenha' will have you doing up your bedroom into a love palace, even if you still haven't mastered that troublesome belly dance, just sway exotically to this whilst flailing a few bits of fabric about and you should achieve the desired effect. The only nag comes with the Nitin Sawnhey remix of 'Manbai', which would've been better off on a B-side rather than altering the mood here.
Ayeshteni is a very epic, sexy and accomplished album, and one that could easily gain Natacha a lot of friends over here given the right amount of attention. A real treat.
