Handmade
Handmade is the debut album from Moroccan singer/songwriter Hindi Zahra. I discovered Hindi through a Spotify search, so prior to writing this blog, I didn’t know anything about her. But what she has crafted in Handmade is an absolute gem - an amazingly colourful and fascinating mix of styles and influences that I know you’re going to love!
Award winner
Handmade won the Prix Constantin for best album in 2010 and the Victoires de la Musique award for best album in 2011.
A little bit more about Hindi Zahra
Hindi was raised by her mother in Morocco for the first 15 years of her life, before leaving school and moving to Paris to live with her father (which goes some way to explaining her myriad of influences!). She is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and presumably also a multi-linguist as most of the lyrics are written in English but her native language is Berber and I would assume she’s a French speaker too.
To give you an idea of what to expect, Hindi has been compared to Billie Holiday, Patti Smith and Nora Jones. I would add Amy Winehouse into the mix too – and surely a host of others, such is the variety in her style.
Which edition are you listening to?
Before we get started, I should mention that (by chance) I bought the deluxe edition and on this version there are a few bonus unplugged songs. So whether you have the privilege of listening to all of the songs mentioned below depends on which version of the album you get hold of.
What is the tone of Handmade?
Throughout Handmade, Hindi’s vocals are obviously the main attraction and she offers us plenty of subtle harmonies to listen out for too.
Typically, the band is comprised of guitar, bass, drums and percussion, creating a very authentic and earthy sound - the sort of vibe that we at The Bustling Tram Society absolutely love!
Onto the album itself
“Beautiful Tango” is the first track and was the single released to promote Handmade. When I first found Hindi on Spotify, this was the song that played, so I guess the most famous too. And it’s a cracking song!
“Beautiful Tango” encapsulates the vibe I mentioned – a sort of unplugged band set-up that immediately sets the mind wandering. It starts with a simple vocal line along with guitar and then builds from there… but in a kind of exotic way. The subtle and haunting instruments in the background add so much; making the song incredibly vivid, yet never travelling anywhere near indulgence. If you only listen to one Hindi song, then this is probably the one to check out.
What follows…
Is a sort of smorgasbord of musical styles, offering up bluesy, jazzy, country and even some rock music influences – at least I think I can hear some anyway!
If you’re a fan of the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss collaboration, I think you’ll find something here for you. “Set Me Free”, “Kiss and Thrill” and “Ahiawa” are all songs that have a similar vibe to their sound and I could easily imagine ending up on one of their recordings.
“Imik Si Mik”, “The Man I Love” and “He Needs Me” all have more than a hint of jazz about them. “At the Same Time” has a definite bluesy feel and “Music” also starts off in a similar vein, but as it plays I feel like I can hear some early Pearl Jam influences too – as I said, a real array of influences!
There are a few that don’t feel like they really fit into any standard category like “Oursoul” and “Stand Up”. Let’s just call these songs the ones that fall into the Hindi Category!
After such a rich variety of musical offerings, it’s perhaps appropriate that Handmade signs off with a slow, waltz style tune in “Don’t Forget about Me”. On the deluxe edition, this is a vocals and guitar only version – perfectly recorded and the perfect ending to a fantastic album.
So go ahead – have a listen to Handmade. Did you love it? I think The Bustling Tram Society have a lot of similarities with the music from Handmade, but do you agree? Let us know over on our Facebook or Instagram pages!
Saludos,
Dave
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