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CD Review
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Roots World, CD Review >>
Abaji's from Lebanon and he has cultural and linguistic ties to France, Turkey, Greece, Arabia and Armenia. And the number of instruments he plays- a dozen or so on this album alone - connect him to a great many other places as well. It's his prowess as a multi-instrumentalist that accounts for what's good about Origine Orients, though the approach to how he plays them is a downfall most of the time. Determined to record everything he could simultaneously or in close succession with no overdubbing, what comes across is a one-man-band effect that neither paints an ample picture of Abaji's musical skills nor adds up to an album's worth of songs that seem structured or whole. For every track that feels complete (the saz/harmonica/percussion nuttiness of "Saz Dance" has the air of a guy busking on a street corner anywhere between Paris and Istanbul) there's another that has too many seams showing, sounds too similar to what preceded or follows it, or gives the short shrift to one of Abaji's chosen instruments. So despite the guy's obvious talent, it probably would've been better had he gone the overdubbing route or the complete opposite by consistently sticking to one axe per track to accentuate his colorfully eccentric singing. He does that a few times here and that's when Origine Orients comes across best, like a troubadour wandering the Mediterranean and stopping to play in any little joint that'll give him a slot. That sort of charm only carries things so far, though, and too much of the final product ends up sloppy or monotonous. I give Abaji credit for trying and bow to his abilities, but a better showcase for them is in order. - Tom Orr
02/17/10 >> go there
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