Athar

The first few moments of Khaled Aljaramani's first solo album come as something of a blessed relief: the sound of an oud (Arab lute) recorded in a room rather than a cavern. The current fashion amongst oud players is to crank the reverb to the max, which lacks the intimate charm that makes the instrument so beguiling. This more domestic setting perfectly suits Aljaramani's style of playing and whimsically ambling compositions. Unfortunately, this simplicity is also Athar's undoing, as the whole recording has neither the structure nor breadth of vision needed to maintain your attention for its duration. There are also two significant musical features that will divide opinion. The first is Aljaramani's singing which, though only featured on a couple of tracks, lacks core and projection. The second is his frequent use of strummed chords; a popular technique amongst Syrian players that, unless executed with incredible accuracy, just serves to show how ill-suited and out-of-tune an instrument without frets can sound. This is not to say that there aren't some delightful moments: however, if you have heard Khaled Aljaramani's inventive and fiery duets with the guitarist Serge Teyssot-Guy in the duo Interzone, this album may come as a disappointment.