Arooj Aftab – Night Reign (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 48:49 minutes | 902 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Arooj Aftab
Grammy®-winning Arooj Aftab is set to release Night Reign, the follow up to her critically-acclaimed album Vulture Prince, on 31 May on Verve Records. Aftab makes the night the focus of this nine-song collection. Entirely in her own voice and through her own story, she delves into the multifaceted, bold and fascinating realm that comes to life after dark. Some nights are for falling in love, some are for solitude and introspection, some are to be annoyed at a forced social gathering–and so go the stories of Night Reign. The album features new friends like Cautious Clay shredding on flute, Moor Mother echoing Aftab’s sentiment of how cruel the world is, and Chocolate Genius aka Marc Anthony Thompson lending his tender sensibilities to a song about being grounded.
Longtime collaborators Petros Klampanis and Maeve Gilchrist also continue their musical partnership as core members of Arooj’s musical family. The resulting new music again showcases Aftab’s striking ability to build a thing of beauty from distinct elements. Night Reign is a clear departure from tradition or the reinvention of ancestral music. It’s a reflection of Aftab’s 15 years living in New York City and her unapologetic commitment to stay true to herself. With open-heartedness, candour and wit, Aftab lets us get even closer to her.Few pleasures are more gratifying than following an artist as she evolves through her creative life, taking chances, earning attention—and then delivering on an unspoken promise by issuing something grand and magical. As if catching the perfect wave, Arooj Aftab’s voice on her new album, Night Reign, seems to be propelled by some unstoppable force. Her solo debut for the historic jazz imprint Verve expands on the Grammy-winning, Obama co-signing success of 2021’s Vulture Prince and Love in Exile, her captivating 2023 trio album with Vijay Ayer and Shahzad Ismaily. Night Reign, as the title suggests, is focused on occurrences after dark—parties, affairs, solitude and whisky-fueled confessions. These are structured songs that leave space for profound periods of improvised bliss—the final two minutes of harp-and-percussion interplay on opening song “Aey Nehin” groove like a cosmic Grateful Dead excursion. At various points, the nine tracks suggest torch songs (“Na Gul”), driving percussion-and-contrabass tag-teams (“Autumn Leaves”), and bewitching-hour blues (“Bolo Na,” featuring poet-singer Moor Mother). “Who taught you to be in love?” Moor Mother wonders on that song as Aftab’s voice glows in the background. “Who showed you the way?” Aftab is also joined by artists including Cautious Clay (flute), Marc Anthony Thompson (a.k.a. Chocolate Genius) and frequent collaborators Petros Klampanis (bass) and Maeve Gilchrist (harp). On “Whiskey,” Aftab addressed a lover about desire and said spirit and how both are affecting their evening. “We’ll fade into the night/ On waves of your perfume,” she matter-of-factly sings as guitarist Kaki King lays down a line, Aftab’s rich contralto humming with energy: “I’m drunk and you’re insane/ Tell me how we will get home.” On “Raat Ki Rani,” Snarky Puppy percussionist Keita Ogawa pounds on tom-toms while a slightly Auto-Tuned Aftab cascades through verses and octaves sung in her native Urdu. The song, which features a music video by actor (and Marc Anthony Thompson’s daughter) Tessa Thompson, further confirms the inspired nature of Night Reign, an album made by an artist in it for the long haul. Like Joni Mitchell, Beyoncé or Sade before her, Aftab has willed into existence her own kind of music, one that effortlessly combines cosmopolitan styles and sounds with accents that shimmer like headlights on rain-slicked boulevards. – Randall Roberts
Tracklist:
1-1. Arooj Aftab – Aey Nehin (05:45)
1-2. Arooj Aftab – Na Gul (05:29)
1-3. Arooj Aftab – Autumn Leaves (04:46)
1-4. Arooj Aftab – Bolo Na (06:14)
1-5. Arooj Aftab – Saaqi (06:46)
1-6. Arooj Aftab – Last Night Reprise (05:07)
1-7. Arooj Aftab – Raat Ki Rani (05:13)
1-8. Arooj Aftab – Whiskey (05:07)
1-9. Arooj Aftab – Zameen (04:16)
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