Aziza Brahim & Band

"Aziza Brahim has a beautiful voice - distant and able to express her views on different matters without ever being too sweet or forced." (7.5/10) Storia della Musica

"The voice of Aziza Brahim is incredible and the sound of the band ideally covers all parts of the Sahara Desert." Rockerilla

"The music is not only an artistic expression, but also a megaphone for the cause, narrating the drama of the people discriminated and without the state ... The voice of the people that we must listen to!" Blogfoolk -

"Aziza Brahim gives us a melancholy trip in the heart of Western Sahara ... Arabic and Spanish mix of wandering melodies are accompanied by guitars (which sometimes uses flamenco approach) and tabla. Soft and epic landscape for everyone." Jeune Afrique

"Aziza Brahim invents a broad universe extended by (until now) an unheard tenderness ... This is the power of a young woman who fights between political struggle and intimate modulations like the late Billy Holiday." 4/5 Les Inrockuptibles

"Influenced by the Malian blues, Aziza Brahim is highlighting the emotional power of her beautiful singing that oscillates between purity and unlimited power of words and music." fip Radio

"The voice emotion of Aziza Brahim is powerful, racy, poignant and exalted. She moves the heart with her rebellious poetry." Midi libre

"Soutak is stunning with its refined implementation (acoustic guitar, electric bass, traditional percussion), which leaves the center pure as the air with Brahim's extraordinary sense of melody. One of the most actual North African female voices today, without a shadow of a doubt.” **** Mondomix -

"The music on 'Soutak' is a fantastic mix of various musical cultures and presents African, Arab and Spanish elements, all held together by Aziza Brahim's unique voice." Gensmantel.net

"The 38-year old singer and her musician tells of the life of an exiled and marginalized people of the Western Sahara, whose people live either in refugee camps or in the diaspora - an issue that comes into the media rarely ... "Soutak" went straight to #1 on the World Music Charts." WDR5

"The modern sound of the nomadic peoples currently sounds more exciting than ever. And 'Soutak' is the best proof." ***** BR - Bayerischer Rundfunk

"Where Tamikrest, Bombino or Tinariwen approach the blues via the detour of rock music with distorted electric guitars, Aziza Brahim leads her way for blues, not on rock, but on Spanish and Latin American folk music. 'Soutak' is desert blues and the anger is intimate and fragile." Funkhaus Europa.

"Aziza Brahim is an important spokesperson for the Saharawi people in their struggle and recognition" Südwind Magazin -

“The vocals of Brahim is one with a lot of experience , emotion and feeling , making it quite arrives. That and also because of the predominantly acoustic accompaniment makes it so at the prestigious ‘Desert Blues’ series to which this work fits ... A profound beauty that you do not let go quickly.” Subjectivisten

“The accessible melodies and pleasant lingering cadence of the nine songs explains very well why Soutak went in the world music charts quickly.” Mixed Worldmusic -

SPAIN:
“Her voice is evocative and melodic in equal parts, her career will hopefully rise soon.” Afribuku

SWEDEN:
"The curious world music fans will discover a lot on that album" Smålandsposten

SOUTH AFRICA:
Anyone who, after a long flight and a big sleep, has woken up to the foreign sound of a call to prayer and thought: "Yes, I've arrived!" will be on the same wavelength.

Soutak is stunningly rich desert blues, and Brahim's lyrical content deserves this platform. Mail & Guardian -

“Aziza’s haunting vocals at times recall those of Arabic fusion diva Natacha Atlas, with a mood that captures both desert bleakness and uplifting triumph.” **** The Epoch Times

"Aziza Brahim has created a CD of heartrending beauty which speaks to the plight of refugees everywhere without descending into the mire of politics. Instead of pointing fingers or blaming anybody, she has focused on the results of the world ignoring oppressed people everywhere. While this impressive in itself, Soutak is also an example of the simple and elegant way in which musical traditions can be combined and blended to create a sound which doesn’t compromise or insult anyone’s culture. There aren’t many people who speak for the voiceless among us, but here is one record which does so with intelligence and integrity." Empty Mirror

“This album makes a strong political statement, but don’t listen to it because of that. Listen to it because the songs are beautiful.” (4.25/5) Spectrum Culture -

"More than fulfils the promise of her debut ... This one puts Ms Brahim in the desert blues premier league." fRoots

"Like her people's cause, Aziza Brahim deserves recognition." **** Songlines (Top of the World album)

"Soutak sets her commanding voice against the fluid, bluesy Spanish-infected guitar work of the Malian Kalilou Sangare and the central pulse of Brahim’s own tabal, a Saharan hand-drum." **** Financial Times

"Through her music, she is trying to re-awaken awareness in this seemingly forgotten conflict. Brahim has a sonorous voice with just a touch of desert grit, accompanied here by an acoustic band of guitars, electric bass, percussion and tabal, the Saharawi hand drum ... Hers is certainly a voice worth hearing." **** Evening Standard

"It reflects the sadness and frustration of a people denied but, delivered with such indefatigable intent and rich beauty, also contains seeds of hope and glimmers of optimism that will never be fully extinguished.." **** musicOMH

"Aziza's powerful voice [is] at the forefront." The Quietus

"[An] arresting album" ***** New Internationalist

"At times, Soutak is as beautifully sparse as the landscape it represents. The tabal, a large hand drum, provides the only instrumental backing. More frequently, however, Soutak takes on a subtle lushness that brings together licks of the Spanish guitar with Malian-style desert blues ... Soutak is comprised of stunningly rich desert blues and Brahim’s lyrical content deserves this platform." Think Africa Press

"This beautiful acoustic album transcends cultural bound-aries ... with a mood that captures both desert bleakness and uplifting triumph." **** The Epoch Times

"It is an intensely personal recording, yet while the focus of Aziza Brahim’s creativity is bound up with her own identity, she embraces universal values and has an international approach ... there is the space for Brahim’s dignified voice to take centre stage and deliver nine songs that are at once noble, uncompromising and subtly inventive ... This sensational CD deserves the widest possible exposure – as does, it can be argued, the 40-year cause of the Saharawis people." African Business magazine

"Aziza Brahim is a singer who has cleverly fused her indigenous musical heritage with neighbouring Malian acoustic blues and Spanish flamenco." 4/5 UKVibe

"Soutak - a voice for the voiceless - tells of injustice, oppression, loss and resistance, eloquently and poetically expressed ... The vocals are central and authoritative, the melodies memorable, and the band of acoustic guitar, bass and percussion (from Mali and Spain) solid and supportive." **** The Irish Times

"There are few albums that will affect you the way that Soutak does. Original and gorgeous..." 9/10 Louder Than War

"The song ‘Julud’, is a moving tribute dedicated to Aziza's mother and reflects her unyielding faith in the Saharawi political struggle." Nubiart Diary

"Serene and subtly sung, the choral, almost desert gospel hymns take time to unfurl their charms, so be patient. Once again Glitterbeat and Eckman have a classic world music crossover on their hands." Monolith Cocktail blog -