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Tobias Ben Jacob - REFUGE
Tobias Ben Jacob´s new album - REFUGE
It is on rare occasions we hear a new record that recalibrates our understanding of the world around us; a point from which we can say, with confidence, we are no longer the same. Tobias Ben Jacob’s 2nd solo record ‘Refuge’ is 2020’s entry into this fabled and hallowed territory. In Jacob’s words, Refuge is an “ambitious new album of songs inspired by the stories of people at the heart of the global refugee crisis.” Each of the album’s 11 tracks offer a narrative from the perspective of displaced people from various turbulent locations including Mexico, Syria and Iraq. Rich with vivid imagery of place, landscape, climate, humidity, and aridity, it is a truly global record.
In telling these stories, Jacob harnesses a unique command of language, combined with a deep sense of empathy and understanding to make the listener truly feel the experiences, emotions, hopes and horrors of the people for whom he sings. Firmly highlighting the ‘Human Flow’ which binds us together, Jacob dismantles the harmful media narratives which do so much to dehumanise and misrepresent such people. As we listen, we become truly entwined with these gripping stories, both tragic and uplifting.
Those familiar with his previous solo work and that of FATEA Magazine’s 2019 ‘Duo of the Year’, Jacob and Drinkwater, will immediately notice a pronounced stylistic evolution. Under the guidance of the album’s producer and co-writer John Elliott of The Little Unsaid, Jacob proves he is not an artist bound by the tropes and expectations of the acoustic genre for which he is best known. Each track is a tapestry of lush, vibrant soundscapes, heavily driven by synths, programmed beats and the ´clicks and beeps´ we would associate with artists such as Tunng and Aphex Twin. At times freeform, at others metronomically precise each track is a different landmass with its own unique and interesting characteristics, much like the many varied, diverse nations and continents from which the album’s subjects originate. All the while it is all held together impeccably by the golden thread of Jacob’s dexterous fingerstyle guitar and deeply emotive vocal delivery.
Tobias Ben Jacob has built a solid reputation amongst audiences and peers alike as one of the standout performers and lyricists of the UK songwriting scene. ‘Refuge’ is an album to challenge its listeners sonically, philosophically and emotionally, fully solidifying Jacob’s position as an essential pillar in any record collection.
Proceeds from the album’s sales support the Wave of Hope School situated in the Moria refugee camp on the Greek islands of Lesbos, now notorious for the tragic fire which swept through it in September 2020. As such it is a truly humanitarian venture, both conceptually and literally. With its take-home message “You see the spark in you is the spark in me” it offers a timely reminder that all which separates us is circumstance.
Review by Chris Knight
´Definitely one to watch out for´ Late Junction .BBC Radio 3
´A fresh and uplifting sound´ Folk Radio UK
“stand out new Folk... superb.. excellent” Chris Hawkins. BBC Radio 6
Get your copy of REFUGE here
