VA - Henna (Young Female Voices From Palestine) (2021)
Recorded in Ramallah, mastered in Sweden, and funded by Norwegians, "Henna (Young Female Voices From Palestine)" was released merely two years before the new Nakba (still ongoing as we speak).
The focus is on a number of female vocalists and the 30-women group Daughters of Jerusalem, yet there's a sizable mixed-gender crew of musicians from all across Palestine supporting them.
Whether the music is firmly traditional or in the more modern singer-songwriter vein of بنّا ريم [Rim Banna], it's all lively, vibrant, refined, and evocative of the Levantine (Eastern Mediterranean) space.
The CD is all too brief of a snapshot though, but let's be thankful for what we've got (and be glad if all the musicians involved received proper treatment for their work). An album to cherish in an otherwise such a terribly tragic context, and likely on the top shelf of Palestinian music recordings.