The Paths That Rise

To pay tribute to the music of her homeland and the songs of Algeria’s Kabylia region that have formed the backing track to her life since childhood, soprano Amel Brahim-Djelloul has surrounded herself with musicians from both Western and Eastern traditions. Together, they perform soulful songs by artists like Idir, Djamel Allam, Djurdjura and Taos Amrouche, arranged by Thomas Keck. Alongside these, Keck’s original compositions set to texts by the poet Rezki Rabia reflect the range and depth of Berber culture.

This poetic, musical journey leads us up to the mountaintops of Kabylia, with Amel Brahim-Djelloul and her musicians as your guides. The title of her album, Les Chemins qui montent (The Paths That Rise), is borrowed from Mouloud Feraoun’s third novel, published in 1957. Mouloud Feraoun (1913–1962) was one of Kabylia’s greatest writers, who wrote about the harsh life he experienced in the region in his lifetime.