Search - Najwa :: Carefully

A great ambient electronic album

paleoj | 04/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Este es un gran album de música electrónica ambiental. Tranquilo a la vez que rítmico pero en general muy relajante. Es el primer album en solitario de Najwa Nimri tras su trabajo con Carlos Jean en Najwajean. Hay talento de sobra en cada tema y si sigue así puede durar mucho tiempo en el candelero a pesar de no ser una música de masas, sin duda es mucho mejor que la mediocre música que la gente escucha hoy dia."

A promising but uneven effort - 3 stars (sorry, I don't know

T. Britt | Miami, FL | 12/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Najwa Nimri, actress and singer, has one of the most interesting/eerie presences on film or record today. This album is a good listen, definitely worth buying, but suffers from some initial uneveness, which I chalk up to this being her first full-length following her brilliant collaboration with 'Supa Producer' Carlos Jean in their duo Najwajean. Some must-have tunes (That Cyclone, Lord of Nations, Following Dolphins) exist side-by-side with some relative clunkers (The Sphinx, Monkeys). Lord of Nations has an ominous bassline that takes a hold of you as soon as the lush opening cello work lets you go. And her melodic airy touch on Following Dolphins, That Cyclone and This Perfume are just what the doctor ordered. It could be that part of the uneveness is due to the fact that it was her first time working with the production team and after a long-term collaboration with Carlos Jean where he knows where she's going is probably not a fair comparison. They seemed to understand what the other was doing and were able to complement each other perfectly. I must say, though, that even her clunkers are listenable and most have some kernel of greatness that I would love to see expanded upon, perhaps as remixes or re-recorded with a different approach to the tracks, or simply with her new, more confident vocals. They occasionally suffer from an overly deliberate abstract style that sounds like she's trying too hard, especially given the fact that she isn't singing in her native languages. The imprecise wording is nice, but perhaps over the course of a couple of tracks, not an entire full-length LP. However, let me underline the fact that I have never heard a single track of hers that wasn't worth owning. Pick up Najwajean's earlier No Blood and subsequent Najwa solo efforts to hear her at the top of her game. She's like wine and gets better with age."