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Perennial in essence and a new dawn in form, Sami Yusuf’s fourth studio album, Salaam, is bound to capture the ears of the old and the hearts of the new.
Salaam, denoting peace in Arabic or the essential state of man before his Creator, is indicative of both the work’s sense of longing and belonging.
Streaming amidst the subtleties of Light as illustrated on the album cover, the music reminds one of the experience of undying peace in an encounter with one’s Ultimate Source. The many shades that form these subtleties are themselves a reflection of the wide-ranging sounds of Salaam.
An unprecedented experiment with sound and silence, the album content ranges from the solo Arabic vocals of Ala Bi Dhikrika to the upbeat tunes of It’s a Game.
The English rendition of Azeri classics like ‘Kucelere Su Sapmisham’ in To Guide You Home accompanied by the traditional Persian tar, and a surprise duet in the soulful Drier Land with Sami’s very own father are bound to stun listeners of all musical walks.
Sami has not missed the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane by breathing new life into much celebrated songs like Without You and Wherever You Are that have now been sung in different languages with new acoustic arrangements.
Neither has his call for charity attenuated, as seen in the widely celebrated song Forgotten Promises which continues to serve as the singular voice for LiveFeedAfrica (www.livefeedafrica.org) - a joint initiative by Sami Yusuf and UN WFP to feed drought hit populations of Africa.
Also included is Hear Your Call, another venerable addition to his charitable endeavours that headlined CNN and BBC’s call to raise awareness about the plight of masses struck by natural disasters.
Salaam album professes a timely expression of Spiritique, Sami’s self-coined musical genre. An expression ever truer to the One and yet, still receptive to all.