Electro beats and belly dancing

Her new acoustic direction might change that: a contemporary classical album, Ana Hina, will be released next month. In the meantime, Atlas remains electric; last night’s concert — the first of a series celebrating the 50th issue of world music magazine Songlines — saw the diva in her familiar element. Backed by her regular band on keyboards, guitar, drums and North African percussion, she started her usual set with her back to the crowd, shaking her shoulders theatrically.

From then on the beats rarely let up. Cherry-picking from her wide-ranging, mainly Arabic-language repertoire, Atlas was an aloof, sometimes imperious presence, gazing at the floor or the middle-distance as she unleashed her glorious voice. Aside from her fabulous raq-sharki (belly-dancing), Atlas’s voice has always been her best feature; delicate with melisma and microtones, it dipped and soared through original songs including Hayeti Inta (from the recent Mish Maoul) and crowd-pleasing covers of It’s A (Man’s Man’s) Man’s World and I Put A Spell On You.

Harvey Brough, musical director of Ana Hina, turned up on acoustic guitar for one dreamy, intriguing moment. But what Atlas calls her stompy dance music prevailed. An offstage costume change, filled by Aly Alim’s thundering darbuka solo, saw her in emerald-green bra and hipster skirt, sprinkling talc onto the stage and whirling like a dervish. Iconic stuff, indeed: let’s hope she fits that one into her acoustic set.

Natacha Atlas
The Jazz Cafe
Parkway, Camden, NW1 7PG