The Journey

1	Lei Lei (I Feel Alone) 3:50
2	Kufilaw (Take Care) 5:01
3	Somali Udiida Ceb (Somalia, Don't Shame Yourself) 5:36
4	Sodewou (Welcome) 5:52
5	Hamar (The Big City) 11:24
6	Qax (Refugee) 9:05
7	Nin Hun (Bad Man) 5:06
8	Fejogno Beware 7:06

Barnes & Noble

Arguably the most exciting Afro-pop record of the '90s, The Journey takes listeners on two trips. One traces singer Maryam Mursal's escape -- children in tow -- from chaotic, drought-plagued Somalia, crossed the desert with her children in tow, and found her way to the Danish embassy in Djibouti and asylum in Europe. The second trip is purely sonic. Abetted by UK producers Simon Emmerson and Martin Russell, The Journey tracks popular dance music and today's crazy-cloth, cross-cultural vibe back to one of its original ports of call -- East Africa. Imagine bringing jungle back to Africa or moving Bristol's trip-hop sound somewhere south of Cairo. The fortysomething refugee Mursal fronts a Danish band with ace traditional instrumentalists alongside crack programmers. The opener "Lei Lei," with its horn section that seems at once a Tanzanian wedding band and a Portishead sample, is worth the price of admission. Mursal's husky voice climbs elaborate Arabic scales and gets down to Mississippi moans, bridging opium dens, juke joints and chill rooms. Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

This remarkable Somalian singer lays intricate vocal lines over funky grooves for a unique world-pop confection. What's more remarkable than this solo debut is the story behind her journey to freedom, fleeing Somalia and winding up in a Danish refugee camp, where she was "discovered" by an arranger who brought her to the attention of Peter Gabriel's RealWorld label. The layers of sound on this disc blend techno with a more traditional Afro-pop sound. It all makes for some of the most passionate dance music you can find. Tim Sheridan