Victor Nesrallah
Label: Free Flying Music
Album: Collections
Tracks : 14
Website: freeflyingmusic.com
When you listen to Victor Nesrallah speak it's an education, when you listen to this album the teaching goes further, he has immersed himself in many cultural styles of music from a very young age, and this release is a wonderful showcase of his journey so far. Not only a multi instrumentalist with a mastery of the guitar, he is a sought after producer and has worked on many independent releases in the Folk, Jazz and World Music genres, an award winning singer / songwriter he has been entertaining audiences with his unique blend of Roots, World Jazz and Blues Fusion at festivals and small venues winning new fans along the way.
Placing tracks on an album is an art form in itself, and I can only imagine the depth of thought that must have gone into this project, with a dozen recordings to date there was a wealth of material to choose from, Victor wanted to give a broad spectrum of the varying styles of music that he has composed and in my opinion he has struck the balance brilliantly on ' Collections ', he has to be highly commended for that.
Influences growing up included middle eastern ensembles, jazz collectives, folk music right through to rock and roll and the Beatles, he played woodwind and brass instruments at school, going on to obtain a degree in Jazz performance which have all shaped his journey.Stand out tracks are many, I am highlighting three that are all different, but fit seamlessly into the collection of fourteen tracks, and that in essence, demonstrate the beauty of the recording.
' The Hills Of Liban ' is a song that reflects an experience of a visit to Lebanon, it's also a commentary on the state of the country, it references historical and geographical places, honest thoughts on the political and religious ideologies that have left the country in turmoil throughout the ages, realizing that everyone is not free in such a bountiful country.
' Forgive and Forget ' is a fingerstyle composition which captures well how Victor performs live as a soloist, it has a rock steady bass string beat throughout which is hugely compelling to listen to, his vocal style is mesmerizing creating a superbly crafted track.
' Blood From The Stone ' is an ensemble piece with beautifully arranged orchestrated parts featuring some amazingly talented Arabic musicians including virtuoso violinist Rabih Yazbek from Beirut.
I am in wonder at the way this album crosses many musical boundaries yet nothing is lost or out of place, it truly is a fabulous collection of music, Victor Nesrallah continues to educate the more I listen, I'm sure there will be other recordings to come and I personally can't wait, but until they do I am perfectly happy to press repeat on this one, Victors music certainly knows no boundaries.
Stevie Connor
Visit Victor Nesrallah's website freeflyingmusic.com
Victor Nesrallah
Label: Free Flying Music
Album: Once A Rebel
Tracks : 10
Website: freeflyingmusic.com
I am a big fan of Victor Nesrallah ever since being introduced to his music via ' Collections: Roots, World, Folk, Blues ' and on this his latest release ' Once A Rebel ' he has not disappointed. It's another showcase of stellar songwriting, gritty performance and amazing musicianship.
For those not aware of his music I'd highly recommend tuning in to this collection from Ottawa based Victor Nesrallah, Victor’s compositions have been praised for their originality and hard-hitting message . A multi-instrumentalist with a mastery of guitar, comparisons range from Keb Mo' to Harry Manx and Bruce Coburn. He draws from the roots and world traditions to inspire his writing, arranging and live shows.
Victor's roots lie in folk and country rock, he stays true to that foundation of his musical past on this release and once again crosses genres with songs that fit seamlessly together with hints of swamp blues, americana and even a touch of bluegrass with celtic tinges on tracks with banjo and fiddle work being provided by Keith Snider, an Ottawa Valley mainstay in bluegrass circles and current bandmate.
This release really showcases the strengths of his arsenal, a great composer, wonderful arranger who has a fabulous ear for harmony., and one component that draws you in further is his art of storytelling. Each song has an element of telling a subjects story as with ' The Lion The Sheep and the Self Made Man ' based on the life story of his grandfather Alex, the song portrays the struggles of early nineteenth century immigrants to Canada, or the rendition and remake of his brother Stephan’s folk rock tune ' Lonely Times ' which portrays the struggles of life on the road for any travelling songwriter.
If blues is your thing then ' Once A Rebel ' gives a whole lot of bang for your buck with tracks paying homage to fingerstyle blues in the style of Mississippi John Hurt capturing the essence of that tradition with two ballad-like renderings in ' Driftin ' and ' Low Down Blues '.
There are ten tracks on the album, it's thoroughly captivating from start to finish with a magnificent blend of compositions, it's well produced as we've come to expect from Victor and each time I've gone back to listen I find another facet that I had missed previously.
A highly recommended release that will pull you in with intrigue throughout, the lyrical content is compelling and the musicianship and arrangements are top class. ' Once A Rebel ' might just be his best release to date.
Stevie Connor
Visit Victor Nesrallah's website freeflyingmusic.com
