Atlas drops flavor like bombs. There is not a continent that is spared as she rallies sound like revolutionaries wielding sharpened zithers and blunted mbiras to muster a truly global album. Leveraging trance inducing Bedouin rhythms as her back drop she folds in Soul, Hip Hop, Jazz, Rai, and even a little Bossa Nova to create one of this years most compelling and intoxicating albums. Along with Karsh Kale’s Broken English Atlas’ Mish Maoul proves that music does not need to respect political or social boundaries. That the act of composing, arranging and performing can be a unifying force binding disparate traditions and concepts. Mish Maoul proves that the world is smaller than we believe and with a little vision even the most remote elements can exist together in the same space and time.

“Feen” is the most pop-centric track on the album finding itself deeply rooted in Hip Hop with rhymes seamlessly swapping with vocals amongst a swirling tapestry of concertina melodies. Later in the album the composition is flipped over with “Bathaddak” as a Rai number that flirts gently with R&B elements while remaining firmly rooted in traditional arrangements. These two tracks show the flexibility of Atlas when it comes to composing and arranging as she is fearless in her incorporation of wildly different sounds, not just in the span of an album but even within a single song.

Buoyed by a growling bass line reminiscent of the work of Art Davis and Reggie Workman on Coltrane’s Ole, “Hayati Inta” throws shards of sound at the listener with deadly precision . Buzz saw reed pipes and rhythmic hand claps give the track a level of field recording authenticity, as if she recorded the album by firelight deep in the night of the desert. It is an aggressive and tense backdrop urging the listener to move to the music. Then with deftness she snaps different sounds out. First a flute and mbira glide by followed by a dirty guitar riff tears in to play off her trilling yell near the end. Nothing is out of place and no moment sounds awkward or forced. It is a beautiful pastiche of sound, melody, and rhythm.

Demonstrating a softer side is the Kings of Convenience fflavored piece, “Ghanwa Bossanova” which sees a simple yet lush piano and guitar duet gently carry her vocals into a sweeping string laden work. At no time is it overwrought as the production shows the same restraint and care as one of dZihan and Kamien’s densely layered works. Most fascinating is how the bossa nova elements slowly twist and turn as to appear to be a Moroccan inspired flamenco only to glint back to it original form. It is beautiful, mysterious and sophisticated.

Mish Maoul will easily be one of the best releases this year with its deft use of music from around the world and its intoxicating rhythms and melodies. Tracks can be sampled over at the album’s website or you can just head over to eMusic or Amazon and buy it. Very highly recommended.