Think back to, I don’t know, 2007? A year that gave rise to the pop carnage of N-Dubz and Sean Kingston, who dominated the shelves of HMV – and I have to admit, 11-year-old me loved it. However nearing the end of the year that globalized the trend of half-naked models gyrating on slightly less attractive male ‘musicians’, Yael Naim came along with her single ‘New Soul’ and baptized me into the world of, well, good music. It was a true spiritual awakening for 11 year old and I haven’t looked back since. (Except for the occasional N-Dubz binge and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a bit of ‘Beautiful Girls’?)
‘Man Of Another Woman’ (which is featured in her 2011 album ‘She Was a Boy’) emphasizes Naim’s large leap from her modest, slightly pop driven roots to a more cultivated, elegant sound. The thick layers of indulgent sounding instruments, the usual – violin, percussion, maracas and piano blended with traditional Middle Eastern instruments such as the sitar and tabla. The colorful ensemble epitomizes her background of mixed cultures, with both Israeli and French influences. Her voice shines through, blending and harmonizing with the instruments instead of sounding too busy or cluttered, creating an extrinsic but strangely enticing piece.
These instruments paired with Yael’s soulful voice give the song a dreamlike quality; listening to it I can almost picture myself in some desert hamlet or a colourful market in Morocco. Eventually, though, the daydream ends: you can listen to as many wonderful-sounding songs as you like and never quite escape the reality that you live in Birmingham and it’s probably raining.
Words by Lauren Parsons