Hindi Zahra

Handmade (EMI Japan/Zoom)

By Erin Lyndal Martin
Published: May 10th, 2010 | 7:00am

On Handmade, Moroccan-born Hindi Zahra shows off her talent as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. Her free-flowing fingerpicking and voice evoke Zee Avi's debut album with more of a tango flavor, her voice slightly reminiscent of Madeleine Peyroux's. And like Peyroux, Zahra displays a maturity beyond her years.

These comparisons are not to say Zahra is wholly derivative of other artists. "Music" features a classical guitar arpeggio beneath an electronic beat and sung-rapped vocals, a combination that works surprisingly well and makes a great dance jam in the process. The sultry "Old Friends" shows yet another side of Zahra as layered vocals float through delicate guitars, and "Stand Up" and the somewhat lo-fi "Beautiful Tango" are seductive numbers.

While Zahra is clearly quite a talent to watch, not all of the songs on Handmade prove that. Although there are no all-out clunkers, "At the Same Time," "Don't Forget," and "Fascination" could have been written and performed by any number of singer-songwriters. Those moments aside, if this album is Handmade, it will be thrilling to see what happens on a more professional record.

Hindi Zahra official Web site

Hindi Zahra MySpace page

EMI Music Japan