B-side "Desire" (edit) Genre Soul | Recorded 1986 Length 4:07 | |
Released November 1986 (1986-11) Format 7" single, CD single, 12" | ||
"Almaz" is a single by American female soul singer Randy Crawford. A heartfelt piano ballad, it signalled a comeback for the artist, who reached the top five in the UK singles chart with the song. "Almaz" is one of the few songs Randy Crawford has written by herself, and the first of her own compositions that was released as a single.
Contents
Composition
"Almaz" was written about a couple of Eritrean refugees who were neighbours of Crawford's. The man asked Crawford to write a song about his wife, who was named Almaz (which means "diamond" in Amharic, Arabic and a number of other languages). In the song, the singer reflects on their rare form of love. In Crawford's own words, "I witnessed this perfect love affair between them, although she was considerably younger than him. This beautiful couple with their baby. As refugees they were looking for 'a world where love survives'."
Release and reception
"Almaz" was released as the third single off the Abstract Emotions album, in November 1986. The first two singles had failed to have any major impact. "Almaz" entered the UK charts on 22 November 1986 at number 91, and slowly climbed the charts until peaking at number 4 in February 1987, spending 18 weeks on the chart. It is Crawford's longest run on the UK charts, and was her first top 40 hit in the UK since 1981's "Rainy Night in Georgia". The song was also a top 10 hit in the Irish charts, peaking at number 2. "Almaz" was released in continental Europe but it failed to chart. It was never released as a single in the USA.