Oulad Lghaba

Much fuss is being made over the young Gnawi maalma (female maalem) Asmâa Hamzaoui, who, still in her early 20s, is performing and recording her interpretation of a repertoire traditionally led by men such as her father, maalem Rachid El Hamzaoui. Asmâa was a toddler when she began attending lilas (all-night healing ceremonies) and was playing gimbri (three-stringed bass lute) in her father's troupe by the age of six. In 2017, barely out of her teens, she made her live debut at the Essaouira Gnawa & World Music Festival, dressed in traditional cowrie shell-bedecked garb, sporting multicoloured hair extensions and joined by five young women chanting and clacking qaraqab (metal castanets). It was so-so; she was still finding her voice.

Now comes Oulad Lghaba (Children of the Forest), and what a difference two years makes. Her voice is crystalline and might, deployed with conviction on 11 tracks from the ‘black’ repertoire, which fuse mystic Islam with West African animism, namechecking sub-Saharan ancestors, communing with djinns, shouting out to Allah. Her bandmates ululate and call-and-respond, finishing each tune with a single satisfying snap of qaraqab. Asmâa Hamzaoui, with her silvery voice and driving gimbri rhythms, feels warrior-like. There are big things to come.