Bahdeni Nami

Depending on how you look at it, this is either Omar's seventh album (officially)... Or his five-hundred and seventh (including the wedding recordings he's made which have since been bootlegged and sold across Syria and beyond). Constantly fusing cultures, his open-armed approach to both community and songwriting reaches a new peak with tracks such as the stomping tech-twists and loopy designs of "Tawwalt El Gheba" and the frenetic, sweaty melting pot "Leil El Bareh". As disparate as the elements seem on paper, Omar's vocals and his band (many of whom he's written and performed with since the early '90s) create a consistency that ties everything together with powerful musicianship that transcends all national, culture and genre boundaries.