Tamino | Sahar Review

Tamino is a Belgian-Egyptian singer, songwriter, guitarist, oudist, and Egyptian actor. He came to the guitar as a teenager when he found a rare resonator guitar in the attic of his late grandfather – the Egyptian actor and musician Muharram Fouad, who became known as “The Voice of the Nile.”. Today Tamino plays the guitar and the oud – creating a double bridge to his cultural past, ultimately understanding and articulating his emotional present. Tamino’s sophomore album, Sahar, explores mystery and wonder, romance and devotion, sorrow and hope.

“The Longing” opens with Tamino’s tapestry of guitar and oud building an acoustic pad that swells to his vocal entrance. His vocal tone is intimate and clean; his range is exciting, and it gets more expressive as he climbs in his register. In addition, Tamino’s lyrics leave room for interpretation, allowing the listener to fill in the storyline and yielding a more engaging experience.

“My Dearest Friend and Enemy” has lyrics that shade a story about the dichotomy of loving someone dearly and having to navigate that. The song thoughtfully explores this as it questions emotions. The acoustic guitar and soft string sounds build the piece’s emotional part. The slide guitar adds a morning quality.

Sahar has many intriguing qualities. Tamino is a fine vocalist and lyricists, and eastern instruments and scales are a welcome sound to the pop surroundings. The album has many colors and textures. However, the most vital trait is its ambiguity of clear emotions; that is not to say it is not an emotional album, it is, but the feelings are ambiguous. It invites the listener to fill in the blanks.

Tamino: Website