Najwa

Carefully (Subterfuge Records)
by Michael McCarthy

You may know Spanish actress Najwa Nimri for her compelling performance as the psychotic Nuria in the film Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes), the role that was played by Cameron Diaz in Cameron Crowe’s re-make, Vanilla Sky. What you should know her for, although few people outside of Spain seem to, is her singing. That’s right, like many a European actress, Najwa also has a career as a singer (in the music world, she simply goes by Najwa). Last year she released a fantastic solo album called Carefully on Subterfuge Records (www.subterfuge.com), having previously collaborated with Carlos Jean for the label under the moniker Najwajean. I suppose you could dance to some of her songs on Carefully, but most are more in the trip-hop vein, the hypnotic beats and creepy sounds often calling to mind Massive Attack (“Following Dolphins” starts off remarkably like Massive Attack’s “Angel,” for example). Other tracks are a bit more upbeat, the sort of quirky pop Björk is renowned for. And perhaps it’s because she’s also singing in English as a second language (or so I assume) that Najwa’s voice often reminds me of Björk’s. Her voice is generally softer, but the way she pronounces her eccentric lyrics, which she writes herself, is equally captivating. Likewise, she shares Björk’s fondness for live strings, most if not all of these songs featuring violin, viola, and cello. A superbly-produced electronic pop masterpiece.
(www.najwa.ws)