If there is one quality in Ibrahim Maalouf which can’t be denied, it is his feeling for large-scale spectacles. He flirts cheerfully with a variety of genres and styles, pushing his music beyond the borders of chanson, pop, hip-hop, rock, jazz and world music in one great unifying gesture. Each of the trumpeter’s projects showcase the ever-excessive, exuberant richness of his universe. This new ‘blockbuster’ of a release is probably the pinnacle of his style, and brings together renowned producers like Henry Was, Nutone and Tony Romera, alongside an impressive array of prestigious vocalists spanning the entire spectrum of contemporary popular music.
The album creates a luxuriant, shimmering atmosphere through its epic production, using artists as diverse as Flavia Coelho, Alemeda, De la Soul, -M-, Tank and the Bangas, Dear Silas, DSmoke, Gregory Porter and Sharon Stone. It shifts cheerfully between moods, while resisting all the typical temptations of fusion music, which often entails stylistic clashes. In this tsunami of sound, Maalouf’s lyrical and elegant trumpet uncoils its refined melismas, conjuring a sound enriched by his oriental heritage, and adding an intimate colour to this hybrid, ultra contemporary performance. © Stéphane Ollivier/Qobuz