This album by Western Saharan musician/activist Aziza Brahim is a commanding and compassionate musical statement about the tumultuous age in which we live. Raised in a Saharawi refugee camp in the Algerian desert, and living in exile for more than two decades (first in Cuba and currently in Barcelona), Brahim's life and music embodies both the tragedies and hopes of the present-day migrant and refugee experience. Recorded with Soutak producer Chris Eckman (Bassekou Kouyate, Tamikrest), 'Abbar El Hamada,' is a wholly persuasive example of Brahim's pan-musical vision and is her most compelling and varied album to date.