Hamza El Din
Escalay (The Water Wheel)
(hear it)

I realized a couple of things about this album today. I had always listened to it on this old Sony CD/Radio clock - I woke up to this album every day for several months.

There's artificial reverb, I think. Listening on headphones, you can hear the oud panned deeply to the left, and on the right the reverb is very not-of-the-same-place sounding. It may be that they just recorded with room mics and mixed it a little strangely - ie not so that it sounds like the instrument is in the room whose ambience is heard with it.

The other thing is even more shocking, for an album that comes across as rather natural and un-fiddled over. I believe that the vocals are overdubbed on the second song (maybe elsewhere?). In the sample I've offered, you can hear how he clears is throat and hums a little to get on-pitch before he starts singing. Now, it's very unusual that people would leave such parts of an overdub in the final recording, but it really does not sound like the way a person clears his throat while playing the oud - it sounds like the way a person clears his throat while standing in front of a mic getting ready to sing.

El Din's albums are generally full of overdubs and studio magic, and I love his idealized concept of how his music should sound, but this one? It's so straightforward sounding.

bb, 4 Feb 08