Friday is off to an exciting start. The weather is warming up, the Chicago Cubs are soaring and a couple of my favorite singers blessed our airwaves this morning with new music.
Two Palestinian artists I respect and follow closely released projects on the same day. After spending the morning listening to them, I can confidently recommend both.
Amira Jazeera, who has been anointed the Palestinian Pop Princess, released her debut album, “The Amira Diaries,” and it was worth the wait. According to her Instagram post announcing the album, the self-taught producer said she began working on the album a few years ago.
Her album is 10 songs deep and she successfully hits several different tones and emotions throughout.
Merna, an R&B and Soul singer, released Side A of their EP “Ours to Keep,” which transported me to a lightly dimmed jazz club in the middle of a Friday morning, as I push insurance policies, edit articles and schedule interviews.
Amira Jazeera and Merna were both featured in Palestine in America’s last Music Edition and I plan to follow up with both artists for the version we are working on this year.
I’ve only had time to listen to each project once through, but these 14 songs will dominate what ever listening devices I use the rest of the weekend, especially as I wait for the Cubs rain delay to pass.

