La Tsadika

I reviewed Mor Karbasi’s debut album The Beauty and the Sea five years ago with heady enthusiasm. Her vibrant vocal timbre placed her alongside a select handful of Ladino divas. Its successor, Daughter of the Spring, turned away from traditional Judeo-Spanish material; Karbasi wrote most of its songs, with decidedly uneven results. The combination of over-production and her mother’s overheated lyrics made me distinctly uneasy about things to come. However, her third album is her finest yet. Her first followed her recent arrival in London from her native Jerusalem. After recording its successor she and her guitarist partner Joe Taylor relocated to Seville. They have obviously been inspired by the old Jewish area, the Barrio de Santa Cruz, where they now live and by the flamenco clubs across the river. The balance between Ladino classics and original compositions is now just right. The production is much more light-fingered and Karbasi’s voice is even more richly textured and flexible. Occasionally the new arrangements are preceded by someone - possibly her mother - singing the original melodies, to touching and evocative effect. The Karbasi family may have struck gold.