Ojos de Novia

Stating that Mor Karbasi is one of the most spellbinding contemporary singers in the world seems unnecessary. And that's exactly why Ojos de Novia becomes a little unnerving, presenting Karbasi's visceral and explosive voice a bit too tamed. The Israeli-born singer first came to prominence in 2008 with the album The Beauty and the Sea, a collection of songs that led us through an intimate tour of the Sephardic repertoire and her Moroccan and Persian Jewish roots. And although the Sephardic songs were her main pursuit, she often poured in a little flamenco, which gave the music an incandescent quality.

After keeping her course with Daughter of the Spring (2011) and the gorgeous La Tsadika (2013), she now sounds en route to a more pop destination. This fact in itself would not pose any sort of problem – the title-track is a wonderful example of how Karbasi can pull this off in quite a sublime way. But here and there she seems somewhat lost, still trying to figure out how to reinvent herself after the first phase of her career.

Not all of Ojos de Novia is as sharp as the Sílvia Pérez Cruz-sounding ‘Parparim’ or the flamenco-tinged ‘Susona’ (featuring a little help from the guitarist Tomatito). It's a pity. This ends up a little short on amazement.