Myriam Faris - Bet'oul Eih

Despite finding a great niche for herself in the oriental-dance fusion genre, Myriam did not rest on her laurels in 2008. Myriam evolved as an artist even more with Bet'oul Eih. There are a few misses, like Samir Sfair's awkward Moush Ananiya and Marwan Khoury's sleepy Betrouh, but overall Myriam's third album is solid. Like the 2005 hit Ha'leq Rahtak, the title song is written by Myriam's sister, Roula Faris, and co-composed with Marc Abdelnour, who gives the song an authentic Egyptian feel. Mohamed Rahim returns with two songs; the upbeat Eih Elli Byehsal is arranged by Jean-Marie Riachi and follows in the style of Nadini while Iyam El Sheteh is a mellow ballad with simple, but beautiful arrangement by Hadi Sharara. Ana Albi Lik will surprise those who are used to Walid Saad's oriental ballads, and Jean-Marie Riachi gives it a fresh Latin-style arrangement. Ala Khwana, also composed by Samir Sfair but arranged by Tarek Madkour, is a refreshingly enjoyable maksoum song that beats Moush Ananiya in this listener's opinion. Law Konte Radi is Myriam's first collaboration with Tamer Ali, and despite a bit of repetitiveness, it's quite good. The album finishes off with it's first single, Moukana Wein, which is Myriam's first full-on Khaliji song. Tarek Aakef proves his innovativeness once again by incorporating the sound of the seashell belt that was worn by Bahraini pearl divers in their traditional dance. The belt was also used in the controversial video Myriam shot for the song, and she learned the choreography for the dance. Interestingly enough, Ahlam recently claimed that Kuwaiti composer Abdallah El Gaoud originally offered her Moukana Wein, but she declined it because her husband think it fit her.



1. Moush Ananiya
2. Eih Elli Byehsal
3. Inta Bet'oul Eih
4. Betrouh
5. Iyam El Sheteh
6. Ana Albi Lik
7. Ala Khwana
8. Law Konte Radi
9. Moukana Wein

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Diana Haddad - Ahla Aghani (Best of)

This album is a compilation of the best of Diana's early work, from 1996 to 1999. Diana is one of the few singers to have tasted success from her first song, and then been able to sustain it for over a decade. From the very beginning, Diana, who was born in Lebanon, raised in Kuwait, and lives in Dubai, sang in her native dialect as well as Egyptian and Khaliji. Her hit debut single, Saken is included, as well as her first Egyptian songs; Yamma Ya and Emshi Wara Kedbohom. The Lebanese songs that defined her early career, such as Ahl El Esheg, Anideh, and Legaitak, are also featured alongside her pan-Arab 1998 hit Ammaneih. Ammaneih was remade by Turkish singer Burcu Güneş in the same year and met with similar success. Composers featured here include George Marderosian, Imad Shamseddine, Riyad El Hamshari, and Ihsan El Mounzer.



1. Emshi Wara Kedbohom
2. Ammaneih
3. Ahl El Esheg
4. Legaitek
5. Men Ghebt
6. Yamma Ya
7. Anideh
8. Bari'ah
9. Ghalteti
10. Saken

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Haifa Wehbe - Baddi Eish

The sheer self-confidence needed to release a song titled Ana Haifa, is the kind of thing that makes Haifa Wehbe's fans love her and her critics' blood pressure rise. To say she got by on her looks alone is unfair however. Haifa has a killer team of musicians, whom she works with day and night to produce some of the catchiest music on the scene. Unlike her debut album, which was dominated by Latin, electronic, and Turkish styles, Baddi Eish is full of unmistakeably Egyptian and Lebanese songs, the simplicity of which outshines the album's ballads. The mischevious Ma Khadtesh Bali, an Abou Jaoudeh-Sharara collaboration, opens like an electric song and then brings in Hadi Sharara's signature dabke beat coupled with strings and ney. Tigi Ezay continues with the same attitude, but Adel Aayesh gives the arrangement a great Egyptian feel, with darbouka, accordion, and kanun. Ya Hayat Albi, a cover of Despina Vandi's O Perittos, continues Jean-Marie Riachi's love affair with Greek laika. The version included in the album seems more like an updated version of Despina's when compared to the one Haifa originally sang, which replaced the bouzouk with accordion. Fakerni is another great Egyptian song, with mizmar, accordion, riq, and (great) strings. The title song (which translates into I Want to Live) is written, composed, and arranged by Elias Rahbani who, in the wake of Rafik Hariri's assassination, wanted his cry for an independent Lebanon to reach youth through Haifa. The album finishes with Ufuk Yilidirim's electronic remix of Howa El Zaman, and Ragab, which despite being written, composed, and arranged by Lebanese musicians, is easily Haifa's most popular Egyptian song ever.



1. Ana Haifa
2. Bahebbak Hob
3. Ma Khadtesh Bali
4. Tigi Ezay
5. Ya Hayat Albi
6. Bahebbak Mout (Kol Marra)
7. Fi Eineik
8. Fakerni
9. Toul Omri
10. Nar El Ashwaq
11. Baddi Eish
12. Howa El Zaman (Remix)
13. Ragab

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Abeer Fadda - Inta Malak

Abeer Fadda is yet another underrated Syrian singer whose fame does not measure up to her talent and potential. Abeer's throaty jabali voice can easily tackle any genre, and she does in her 2005 album, Inta Malak. Abeer composed two songs, Waggef and Ser Behayatak herself, while the rest of the album is composed by Yaser Jalal, Khaled Adel, Mohamed Fawzi, and Medhat Fawzi. The album is arranged by Egyptian arrangers Medhat Khamis, Ahmed Adel, Adel Aayesh, Yehia El Mougi, and Karim Abdelwahab. The album has four great ballads, the melancholic Wallah Ma Faragni, Latin-influenced Leil Ya Gharam, Khaliji Waggef, and heartfelt Ser Behayatak. The faster-paced songs are less interesting, though Estanna Alaya and the catchy Shou Befrah stand out when compared to the maksoum songs, Inta Malak and Leila Be Alf Leila. Some will be surprised when they hear Wallah Ma Faragni, which Mayssam Nahas remade into a hit single in her latest album (albeit renamed Habib El Rouh).



1. Estanna Alaya
2. Wallah Ma Faragni
3. Leil Ya Gharam
4. Shou Befrah
5. Leila Be Alf Leila
6. Waggef
7. Inta Malak
8. Ser Behayatak

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Nancy Ajram - Ya Tabtab... Wa Dalla'

After two hit albums in a row, Nancy's fifth album was one of the most highly-anticipated releases of 2006. With more upbeat maksoum songs, and just a few, albeit excellent, ballads, Ya Tabtab has a bit of everything. The title song, which has been remade into Greek by Kelly Kelekidou, kicks off the album in the same playful spirit as Ah We Noss. As the album progresses, the diverse list of composers is evident. Most of the maksoum songs, Ya Tabtab (Tarek Madkour), Ana Yalli Bhebbak (Samir Sfair), Mo'gaba (Walid Saad), Ashteki Menno (Hamdi El Sediq), and Ya Si El Sayed (Walid Saad), are arranged by Tarek Madkour. Though Madkour is frequently criticized for "recycling" ideas, his work here is good and each song has its own flavor, incorporating synths into some, accordion in others, or sticking simply to violins. The ballads, Ehsas Jdid (Salim Salameh), Meshtaga Leik (Yacoub Al Khubaizi), Elli Kan (Walid Saad) and Oul Hansaki (Hassan Abou El Saoud) are even more diverse, with a different arranger in charge of each. On Ehsas Jdid, Hadi Sharara combines the best of both East and West as usually, mixing piano with bouzouk, darbouka, and strings. Elli Kan is some of Karim Abdelwahab's best, and most oriental, work so far. Amr Abdelaziz gives Meshtaga Leik light percussion (for a Khaliji song) and the pop treatment, which Nancy tends to in most of her albums. Oul Hansaki is a classic ballad, with heartfelt lyrics, and typical arrangement from Mohamed Mostafa. Even the songs that did not get the limelight, like Sabrak Alaya (Walid Saad) and Law Dallalouni (Suhail Fares) are well-composed and enjoyable. Ya Tabtab was one of Nancy's most successful and most commercialized albums too, with five of the songs used for jewelry, Coca-Cola, and perfume ads.



1. Ya Tabtab Wa Dalla'
2. Ehsas Jdid
3. Mo'gaba
4. Meshtaga Leik
5. Ana Yalli Bhebbak
6. Ashteki Menno
7. Oul Hansaki
8. Elli Kan
9. Ya Si El Sayed
10. Sabrak Alaya
11. Law Dallalouni

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Fares Karam - Janen

Though it feels like most of the Arab world believes Fares Karam's career began with his 2006 hit El Tannoura, this Studio Al Fan graduate has been crooning for over a decade. With George Marderosian, Marwan Khoury, and Imad Shamseddine, Janen has some of the best Lebanese composers. Though Fares has become centered around comedic and daring lyrics in his latest work, Janen has some great love songs like Majnoun Bani Amer, Janen, and Khayyabt Zanni as well. Rightfully the king of playful dabke today, no one does it like Fares Karam.



1. Janen
2. Selini
3. Mili Mail
4. El Etfa'iyeh
5. Mahdoumeh
6. Majnoun Bani Amer
7. Khayyabt Zanni
8. Am Tetthalla

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Hind - Hind 2008

When asked about her talent, the great Mayada El Hennawi called Hind "one of today's greatest, most beautiful voices," and for good reason. The young Bahraini singer's soulful approach to everything from traditional Saudi and Emirati songs to pop and ballads, is a refreshing change in a genre where young singers tend to stick to simple, non-challenging songs. The album has an impressive list of musicians, with Dr. Abdelrab Idriss, Nicolas Saade Nakhle, Michel Fadel, Tarek Aakef, Nizar Abdallah, İsmail Tunçbilek (on bouzouk), and Ali Bin Mohamed (who duets with her on the "Khaliji blues"-style Yeji Mennak). The album is very diverse, for example Thebahni El Shoug employs an Iraqi beat, while Teshteki has delightfully classic approach, and the Lebanese hit Maw'ed Omur brings in electric guitars and bongos. So even if you don't like one song, you will definitely find one you love. This is a high-quality production from beginning to end; synths are kept at a minimum and the instruments range from traditional ney, oud, kanun, and rebab to guitars and saxophones. Understandably, Hind recorded in Cairo, Bahrain, Dubai, Beirut, and Kuwait, with musicians from the Gulf, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey playing the various instruments. Easily her most hyped album to date, Hind's 2008 album is definitely worth a thorough listen.



1. Meridh El Mahabba
2. Yeji Mennak
3. Thebahni El Shoug
4. Eb Kel Basata
5. Abih Yeshouf
6. Aaf El Farah
7. Hameti
8. Tawwek Ala Bali
9. Jaitek
10. Teshteki
11. Men Int
12. Maw'ed Omur

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