MADRI SENZA TERRA

Abash is an Italian band from Puglia that was formed in 1998. Looking for their own musical identity, they tried to blend African obsessive and tribal rhythms and Oriental melodies with Italian traditional folklore (especially Salento's ethnic and popular music like Taranta and Pizzica) and rock. The result is a very peculiar and atypical "Mediterranean progressive rock". "Madri senza terra" (Mothers without land) is their third album and was released in 2006 for the label "Il Manifesto". It's really a mature and interesting album, with a good artwork and a paper sleeve package... It's a kind of concept album where the character of "the mother" becomes a metaphor for love, peace, land, roots, tradition... On the cover are printed the following words: "The roots, the land, the mothers / It's there the spirit, the truer and deeper way of living / Pure instinct, perennial love, blood and sweat / Music from the heart without borders"...

The opener "Intro (Madri senza terra)" is a short track that features only an evocative melody sung without words by Annarita Luceri in a way that reminds me of Noa and an "exotic" recitative part that leads to the "heavier" "Niuru te core" (Dark heart) where you can appreciate the contrast between aggressive guitar parts and more relaxed moments, between the raw vocals of Maurilio Gigante and the beautiful melodic voice of Annarita singing the "poetry of a red sunset / red like blood "... The lyrics, in dialect, are about parents' love for their children in a dark and difficult world.

"Salentu e Africa" was the title track of Abash's first self-produced album and this is a new powerful version... Here every now and again the voice of Annarita reminds me of Teresa De Sio while the song has a strong "ethnic flavour" with Mediterranean rhythms and "Plato and Marrakech" inside the heart. Words and music invite you to "jump and beat on the drum"...

"Madri" (Mothers) is one of my favourite tracks on this album... The beautiful voice of Annarita sings "I'm your strength, your spirit / your memory, your coherence / I'm your mother, your root / your shelter, your comforter... With my voice I sing a war anthem to the world / That does not listen to me and dies / swept away by the waves...". In the beginning the melody reminds me a little bit of Mecano's "Hijo de la luna" but then the music develops in an original way and the band showcase a great musicianship with keyboards and guitars in the forefront.

"La corsa di Assan" (The run of Assan) is about an African boy running away from his land animated by a "thirst of hope and justice". Tribal rhythms and evocative keyboards passages here are intertwined with a sweet lullaby giving the image of a desperate dream... "Here I am / Flying over the sea / Like a black angel / With spread out wings / Over your cities and your dirty miseries / I will blow my wrath / I'm the black power / Africa won't lend its hand anymore / And my dream will be a land / saved by the cry of God..."

"Canto alle nuvole" (Song to the clouds) is a song of universal love and hope, hope that "poetry and love will change the world"... On an evocative musical carpet the voice of Annarita sings "I will be the music for your song to the clouds / Fire that melts the snow-fields / With words that nobody will never listen to anymore..."

"Oltre" (Beyond) is delicate and sweet, featuring good harmony vocals inviting you to listen to the dreams and the silences of the night...

"Otranto 14 agosto 1480" is another great track with strong traditional influences... The lyrics, in dialect, are about an attack of the Saracen pirates against the city of Otranto in 1484 and the music tries to describe it.

"Maràn Athà" (Come, lord Jesus) features a delicate guitar arpeggio and flute... Lyrics are an Aramaic prayer. Excellent the instrumental finale...

"Non gridate più" (Do not scream anymore) was inspired by "Il dolore", a poem by Giuseppe Ungaretti... It's a mix of modern sounds, heavy rhythms and dreamy vocal passages... "Stop killing the deaths! Do not scream anymore / If you want to listen to them / If you hope to live!..."

"Scale fino al cielo" (Stairs to the sky) is another great song of peace and hope with a strong Oriental flavour featuring a good "heavy" guitar work...

On whole "Madri senza terra" is a very good album, without really weak moments. Abash are not stuck in the past and their personal way to blend progressive rock and ethnical influences is absolutely interesting... This work is a must have if you want to experience something musically fresh, full of poetry and an amazing female voice...