Jawhar

A welcomed return from the Tunis-born, Brussels-based singer-songwriter.

Jawhar’s critically acclaimed second album, “Quibla Wa Qobla,” was released in 2014. Combining Western folk in the vein of Nick Drake with influences from North-African chaabi music, and sung entirely in Tunisian, it established his signature sound.

“Winrah Marah” comes after long five years, but largely continues the style of its predecessor. Comprised of ten acoustic songs, the album is anything but flashy. Rather, its strength lies in the thick, immersive atmosphere that gradually envelops the listener.

Despite the warm and gentle sound, there is certain rawness to Jawhar’s music, which occasionally can turn quite dark and dramatic.

This creates an intriguing tension which makes “Winrah Marah” into a hypnotic work that continually balances between the familiar and the mysterious.

You can stream the album on Soundcloud and Bandcamp.

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Jawhar on Soundcloud, Facebook, YouTube, Bandcamp, Twitter, www.

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