Kiran Ahluwalia: 'Aam Zameen: Common Ground'

Electric guitars and hand-clapping kick off Aam Zameen: Common Ground... some of the world's newest musical instruments and some of the world's oldest. Electric guitars are, of course, pretty much ubiquitous nowadays, but hand-clapping (as a crucial rhythmic element, anyway) is only extant in a few genres of music around the world -- Tuareg music from the tribes of the Sahara Desert and a few Indian and South Asian genres, such as Qawwali, being notable examples. With that in mind, I found Kiran Ahluwalia's latest release to be among the most organic examples of world fusion music that I've ever heard. Common ground, indeed. Clap-clap-clap. Simple as that.

Let's start with an overview of personnel involved, because that's where these unique (and yet oddly familiar) sounds are really coming from. At the helm, we've got Kiran Ahluwalia herself: an Indo-Canadian singer and composer who's studied the art of ghazals (a form of passionate Indian and Persian poetry) for a couple of decades. At her side is her husband Rez Abbasi, a jazz/world guitarist and composer who's known in his own right as a talented fusionist. Joining Ahluwalia's excellent backing band are a handful of special guests, notably including Tuareg rockers Tinariwen and Terakaft. With a lineup like this, it has to be good! (Well, actually, it doesn't... it could go terribly, terribly wrong. Thankfully, quite the opposite happened.)

Even with big-name guests, though, Ahluwalia is assuredly the star of the show. Her voice is a real treasure: it has the measured quality that comes with fine training, but a very natural warmth, too. She's up there with Karan Casey and Cesaria Evora as a singer I could listen to for weeks and not get tired.

The songs are an interesting array. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's "Mustt Mustt" is the big hit of the album: re-imagined with Tuareg rhythms and sonic elements from Tinariwen, it opens Aam Zameen: Common Ground with a bang. A "Mustt Mustt Redux" is offered later in, this one an electrified modern version, sweeping and slowed-down. Finally, the album closes with an extended version of the opening track: nearly nine minutes of guitars, hand-clapping, wailing, singing, and pure bliss. Great stuff, this. I also particularly loved "Matadjem - Waris Shah" -- I recognized one of the melodies instantly as my favorite track from Tinariwen's 2007 release Aman Iman. Interestingly, Tinariwen does not appear on this track, but the spirit of their song makes their presence known anyway. "Lakeeri," which Ahluwalia penned both the words and music for, ties both the Tuareg and Indian influences together in what becomes an almost psychedelic rock anthem, and ties the end of the disc together nicely. It's a noteworthy release from start to finish, actually, and if you have a chance to give it a listen yourself, I highly recommend it.

1. Mustt Mustt
2. Rabba Ru Intro
3. Rabba Ru
4. Raqba
5. Yaar Naal
6. Saffar
7. Mustt Mustt Redux
8. Matadjem - Waris Shah
9. Zindagi
10. Lakeerai
11. Mustt Mustt (Extended)

Kiran Ahluwalia's Aam Zameen: Common Ground was produced by Justin Adams and Rez Abbasi and was released on Avokado Artists Recordings in October of 2011. Total playing time is 56.5 minutes.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.