A-Wa’s ‘Hana Mash Hu Al Yaman’ is the most interesting song I have featured so far on The Sound Sniffer. This act is formed of three sisters Tair, Liron and Tagel who were born in the communal settlement of Shaharut, situated in the secluded Arava Valley in Southern Israel. Their paternal grandparents are orginally from Sana’a in Yemen and were forced to flee their homeland in search of peace during the violent civil war with the aid of a resettlement plan named Operation Magic Carpet. This single touches upon the powerful theme of their grandmother’s plight in adapting to the rugged and deprived life as a refugee.
I did not expect to be so captivated by this piece when it was sent my way, the whole package just works splendidly. The vocals are cool, the production is accomplished and the music video is high quality. I’m not sure if any of you have had any experience with Yemenite-Israeli music until now, I certainly haven’t. There is a reason why these sisters made history as their single Habib Galbi became the first song sung in arabic to become a number 1 in the country – they are unique and this new one is no different. This kind of brilliant music isn’t what we are used to hearing over on these shores.
The girls are currently embarking on their European tour, which is going down a treat. Check them out.
Powerful and emotional.