03.16.10

One listen to any track off Gaida’s debut album Levantine Indulgence and you’ll agree that whoever dubbed her the “Syrian Nightingale” was on point. Her voice soothes as it flies effortlessly between notes and syllables, pulling you into the emotion of the song. Lyrically, the album is poetic — a mix of colloquial Syrian and classical Arabic songs about “love, longing and caring.” Musically, it carefully dances between old and new, East and West, with influences ranging from jazz to Brazilian Samba

Levantine Indulgence is fresh and pleasing to listen to, whether it’s the focal point or background music. The Levantine Indulgence ensemble plays well, giving Gaida’s voice a fitting landscape to travel as she improvises. This improvisation takes on a new life when they perform live, as they recently did for the album release at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC. Check out some photos from the concert below…

Listen to “Illak Shi” from Levantine Indulgence