For a guy with such a knack for jangly melodies, Salim Nourallah also grapples with existential dilemmas: What’s the proof of God’s existence? Why are we so messed up? How on earth do we stay sane?
The Dallas singer-songwriter-producer tackles all those questions on Nourallah, his ninth and arguably most philosophical solo album. In a sense, he’s the musical counterpart to filmmaker Terrence Malick — another Illinois-born Texan with Middle Eastern roots confronting life’s big questions with a melancholy touch.
Nourallah can be snarky at times, as in “Time Is Not Your Friend,” an ominous slow strut in which the singer imagines the future as a supervillain. There’s a playful streak, too, with side trips into reggae and the rollicking rock ‘n’ roll of “The Mustache Years,” about 1970s El Paso.
But mostly, it’s a wistful, exquisitely produced collection of pop ballads and midtempo songs recorded with Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist Billy Harvey.
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Now available digitally and on vinyl via bandcamp.com, the album hits streaming platforms in February.
Upcoming concert
Salim Nourallah will perform an album-release show Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. at Galactic HQ in East Dallas. Tickets are $52.22 at prekindle.com.
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