Tracklist:

LP 1

1. She Stands On the Shore
2. A Paradise in the Hold
3. Mermaid’s Tears
4. Her Light
5. Al Naddaha

LP 2

1. Dancing Barefoot
2. Into the Night
3. Through My Eyes Go to Sleep My Heart Does Not Forget You
4. To the Lonely Sea
5. Waiting for the Dawn

‘A Paradise in the Hold’ is an album of yearning. It’s about Ivor Novello Award winning Yazz Ahmed’s dual heritage, drawing on traditional music and folklore as well as her own personal experience as a British-Bahraini woman. A sweeping epic where tradition meets innovation, she melds ancient rhythms with contemporary musicianship. The record is a tribute to the sorrowful songs of Bahrain’s pearl divers, the strength of Arab women, and the celebratory rhythms of women’s traditional drumming circles, while also telling the story of Yazz’s own decade-long voyage of self-discovery.