Yara - La'ale' Khalijiya

Of the many Khaliji offerings in 2009, La'ale' Khalijiya was easily the most well-received. Rumored to be in the works for two years until it was finally released, the album was Yara's ticket to the last Janadriya Festival in Saudi Arabia. The album has musicians from the kingdom as well as the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, and Lebanon. It opens with Adri, a good song made beautiful by Amr Abdelaziz's beautiful arrangement. Initially Nawal's, Ana Ensana sounds like the best of Nasser El Saleh's compositions for Mohamed Abdu. The song is surprisingly arranged by Osama El Hindi, who gives the song a lighter, more exotic-sounding beat to contrast the deep, melancholic strings. From the female creative duo that brought us the hit Shomoukh Ezi, Tathker Youm is a more light, upbeat love song. The change of pace that the song goes through is interesting at first, but there isn't enough here to warrant the six-minute length. Raghba Menni is a light love song with typical percussion-centred Siruz arrangement. Fayez El Sa'id's Sekkar Zeyada, a hit by most accounts, is one of my least favorite songs here. It is by no means bad however, and will be an instant favorite for fans of the Emirati style. Sallemouli is not very interesting either, and both Abdallah El Gaoud and Tarek Aakef have done better jobs.

The album picks up with Sedfa, the song that made Yara a Khaliji star overnight. After the number of plays the song got on television and radio stations, most would skip it today, but it remains a catchy, upbeat song on all fronts. Bkel Shay Tajtheb* is another playful and catchy song, albeit too repetitive for some. Ma Roum is another song that stands out, it is short and sweet, but it could have done without the cheap synths. The album takes a surprising turn with Ma Aad Fini Rouh, as the traditional album jumps into the small niche of Khaliji-R&B. Ahmed El Hermi changes things up again, just as he did with her hit Inta Menni in 2008, and arguably does even better here with Siruz's help. Men Hey?, composed by Fahad El Nasser, brings Michel Fadel in. The song is instantly given Michel's western ballad touch, combining beautiful piano with airy strings. Amr Abdelaziz rarely goes wrong with Khaliji songs, and Nasik is no exception, but Ghali's composition, while enjoyable, is nothing new. Nedhar Eini, composed by Fayez El Sa'id, changes the mood again, and the dramatic intro is instantly attributed to Walid Fayed. Neloum El Wagt may have fared better had Mohamed Abdu and Asalah's version not overshadowed it, but the arrangement definitely leaves much to be desired. We end with Ya Habibi Alamek, another good Nasser El Saleh-Amr Abdelaziz collaboration, and the song's pace almost suits its purpose as the final song of the album.

1. Adri

2. Ana Ensana

3. Tathker Youm

4. Raghba Menni

5. Sekkar Zeyada

6. Sallemouli

7. Sedfa

8. Bkel Shay Tajtheb

9. Ma Roum

10. Ma Aad Fini Rouh

11. Men Hey?

12. Nasik

13. Nedhar Eini

14. Neloum El Wagt

15. Ya Habibi Alamek

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*Contrary to the tags, track 8 is composed by Mohamed Bou Dalla and track 9 by Homoud Nasser.

Pascale Machaalani - Bhebbak Ana Bhebbak

Bhebbak Ana Bhebbak is Pascale's latest album, although the length would suggest a maxi single. The title song opens the album on a nostalgic note, and with a concert atmosphere. The song is repetitive, but Melhem Bou Shdid's arrangement holds the song together and is worth a listen even as background music. The album's strongest song is Sallemlak Albi, composed by Mohamed Yehia, the video for which was released this week. The song has simplistic arrangement that works coupled with a catchy chorus and Pascale's beautiful voice. Red Alayeh sounds just like most of her 2007 album, and even the beautiful ney solos aren't worth braving the five minute song. With the recent resurgence of dabke in pop music, Mahboubi Jnoubi was to be expected, but the song is easily forgotten. Habibi Gheir is another Bou Shdid composition, but mixes things up with some great bouzouk solos and strings which make the song very enjoyable. The album ends with Nafs El Makan, composed by Nader Nour, which is a standard Egyptian ballad. To say Pascale's 2009 return was underwhelming would be an understatement, but it's worth braving the mediocrity for some of the brighter spots on this album. It's safe to say that the excitement once associated with the release of a Pascale album has dissipated.

1. Bhebbek Ana Bhebbak (Nawi Trouh)

2. Sallemlak Albi

3. Red Alayeh (Wainak Ya Ghali)

4. Mahboubi Jnoubi

5. Habibi Gheir

6. Nafs El Makan

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Karol Sakr - 009

Perhaps one of 2009's most anticipated albums, Karol Sakr's 009 was finally released in May after months of delays. The change in style is evident with Tarek Abou Jaoudeh gone, and the focus shifts from ballads to pop songs. The album opens with Gheltan Ktir, a reworked version of Ajda Pekkan's Aynen Öyle, albeit credited to Jean Saliba. The song fits Karol's emotive voice perfectly, while Elie Barbar and Cem Erken's arrangement could have used some acoustic instruments. Bi Albi, composed by Hisham Boulos, is infectiously catchy and even the way the auto-tuner drowns Karol's voice works. The only complaints lie with the interlude's resemblance to Guru Josh's Infinity 2008, especially when the beautiful strings that end the song could have easily replaced it. For the first time, Karol has two Egyptian songs here, and Hadi Sharara gets more experimental with their arrangement. Ertah We Rayyahni is catchy pop, while the popular Eih El Gedid is a more R&B-influenced track. The songs most like Karol's previous album arrive in the middle, with Salim Salameh and Wissam El Amir's songs. Jerh Ghiyabak, the first only single from the album, is in classic Hadi Sharara ballad form sans the focus on strings. We Btes'al Shou Beni is a more laidback ballad, but finally ushers in more real instruments with beautiful accordion solos and strings. Ha'ak Alayeh continues the trend and adds a bouzouk to the mix, in a catchy jazz-influenced number. Melhem Barakat returns with a very different song from Da'et Albak. Horr Tsadde'ni has a much more traditional approach, and while the instrumentation is beautiful, you can't help but feel that the song would have been better suited to Najwa Karam or Melhem himself.

1. Gheltan Ktir

2. Bi Albi

3. Ertah We Rayyahni

4. Eih El Gedid

5. Jerh Ghiyabak

6. We Btes'al Shou Beni (Ma'i Ou Mish Ma'i)

7. Ha'ak Alayeh

8. Horr Tsadde'ni

9. Gheltan Ktir (Extended)

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Shahd Barmada - Ba'd Elli Sar

One of the gems found on the countless television talent shows, Shahd Barmada managed to stay on people's minds for years until she finally released her debut album in 2009. With the sweetness of Nancy Ajram, and the grace of Mayada El Hennawi, Shahd Barmada is another very promising new Syrian voice. Musically adopted by Asalah's ex-husband and producer Ayman El Dahabi initially, Shahd later signed on to Music is My Life and Samir Sfair took Ayman's place. Samir composed half of the songs, and his style is diverse as usual.

While Shahd's album is nothing groundbreaking, the choice of songs is perfect with talented musicians coming together for on of 2009's best albums. The catchy title song employs Tarek Madkour's classic strings and kanun combination albeit with an ayoub beat instead of maksoum. La Youshtara successfully brings back Yuri Mrakadi's tried and true formula of beautiful classical lyrics combined with western pop. La Tloum is another infectiously catchy maksoum song, but although Karim Abdelwahab blatantly employs Tarek Madkour's style of arrangement, the synths sound cheap and don't do the song justice. Halati Hala is a simple ballad, with Tarek Madkour's favorite pop beat coupled with clarinet, but as we have come to expect from Karim El Iraqi, the lyrics are heartfelt. Allah Ma'ak is a classic Samir Sfair ballad, and Fahd does a great job combining the elements of the quintessential western ballad with oriental accents. Khaled El Bakri composed two ballads here also. Law Kont Btehlam has a dramatic flare that is in large part thanks to the interesting arrangement of Tarek Aakef. Wayak Habibi is less interesting in terms of composition, but equally beautiful thanks to Medhat Khamis' arrangement. The song that instantly catches your attention however, is Law Had Shafou, composed by Nouhad Najjar. The song is unmistakably oriental, but with a classical accent that Jean-Marie Riachi employs beautifully in the arrangement also. Walid Saad's Reg'et Ayamna is the composer at his best, with a nostalgia and the kind of composition that puts Shahd's beautiful voice to the test. Adel Aayesh's rich, Turkish-influenced arrangement fits perfectly too. The album ends with Teshoufak Eini, a catchy maksoum song that is instantly reminiscent of Nancy Ajram. Funnily enough, the song was apparently meant for Nancy Ajram but Mohamed Rehim preferred to release it sooner.

1. Ba'd Elli Sar

2. Law Kont Btehlam

3. La Youshtara

4. Law Had Shafou

5. La Tloum

6. Wayak Habibi

7. Halati Hala

8. Reg'et Ayamna

9. Allah Ma'ak

10. Teshoufak Eini

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Elissa - Tesaddaq Bi Min

Elissa's long-awaited seventh album has finally been released, and at a time where the ailing Rotana needs it most. Ironically, Elissa's lengthiest album so far has the smallest number of composers, and is noticeably even more lyric-focused than its predecessor. After reasonable success with Khod Balak Alaya last year, Walid Saad is back with five songs, including the title song, a catchy ballad reminiscent of both Jannat's Ana Donyetou and the solo violin from Elissa's own Ayami Bik. Ma Aash Wala Kan adds a fun air of nostalgia with the 1980s pop influence coupled with some strings, even though Nader Abdallah too seems to be reworking his lyrics from Ayami Bik here. Men Gheir Monasba delves into a darker theme, that of an abusive partner, but the quintessential ballad music and beats are slower and less interesting. Eisha Wel Salam is a more jazzy Latin number, and Elissa excels with the genre. Tamim's choice of simple trumpets, strings, and solos is perfect too. Masdouma is like much of the "Egyptian chillout" Tamim excels at with Tamer Ali, except it's composed by Walid Saad. The song is sweet and pleasant but nothing groundbreaking.

Marwan Khoury makes his biggest contribution to Elissa yet here, with three songs. Amri La Rabbi, arranged by Michel Fadel, is an adequate song with hopeful lyrics. Sallemli Alaih, arranged by Nasser El As'ad, brings in the kind of rich, oriental music that Kermalak and Betmoun had. Fi Shi Enkasar is a ballad characteristic of Claude Chalhoub's classically-influenced work and truly makes Elissa's vocals shine amongst the mellow harp and the moody strings. Mohamed Rehim, the man behind the 2002 hit Agmal Ehsas, returns with the beautifully heartfelt We Byestehi as well as the album's weakest song, Eftakart. A Bali Habibi is already wowing audiences with its hopelessly romantic lyrics, but the music itself is surprisingly dull for Salim Salameh and Chalhoub. Strangely, Tamer Ali, arguably Elissa's hitmaker over the past four years, has only one song, Ma Ta'rafsh Leih. The song is another relaxed piece, but his collaboration with Claude Chalhoub is interesting. Another surprise comes with the inclusion of Law Fiyeh, a 1970s Aida Chalhoub song, composed by Elias Rahbani and renewed by Jad Rahbani. Elissa had begun singing the song at events, but the version on the album is another testament to her vocals. While the album is hardly groundbreaking, why change a good thing?

1. Tesaddaq Bi Min

2. A Bali Habibi

3. Men Gheir Monasba

4. Amri La Rabbi

5. Fi Shi Enkasar

6. Ma Aash Wala Kan

7. Sallemli Alaih

8. Law Fiyeh

9. Eftakart

10. We Byestehi

11. Ma Ta'rafsh Leih

12. Eisha Wel Salam

13. Masdouma

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Latifa - Atehadda

When news of Latifa's Khaliji album came to light, the air of skepticism was undeniable. Latifa has proven us wrong once again, however. After wowing audiences with Ziad Rahbani in 2006, and again with Egyptian pop in Fel Kam Youm Ell Fatou in 2008, Latifa has done it again. While Fella's Khaliji album had a Saudi focus, and Yara's an Emirati one, Latifa's has a Qatari one. As with her previous albums, Latifa tends to excel with slower-tempo songs and she has quite a few excellent ones here, as well as a number of genres. The album has Khaliji pop, like Mamlouh, Atehadda, Wesh Aad Endak, and Ma Yestahel. Then there are songs that mix genres. Einek Le Bara, the story of a lover with wandering eyes, has an interesting gypsy flavor. Ya Anani, arranged by Egyptian-born Ali Abaza, is closer to the Egyptian pop Latifa usually sings. Ana Men Nah Winta Men Nah, composed by George Marderosian, is a fun reminder of the composer's work in the 1990s. Kel Wahed, Ma Jeitni, and Habbeina Gheirah are heartfelt modern ballads, while Weinek Ta'al, Ya Sahrin El Leil and Sabberna Yalli Msabberna are rich, more traditional pieces. Latifa may not have mastered the accent as well as other singers this year, but the album is solid, albeit it could have done without some of the faster tracks.

1. Mamlouh

2. Einek Le Bara

3. Atehadda

4. Ma Jeitni

5. Ya Anani

6. Kel Wahed

7. Ana Men Nah Winta Men Nah

8. Wesh Aad Endak

9. Weinek Ta'al

10. Hallaftkom

11. Ya Sahrin El Leil

12. Habbeina Gheirah

13. Sabberni Yalli Msabberna

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Fella - Ya Mesafer Lel Jefa

ith the influx of Khaliji songs from singers during the past year, Fella's solid effort went almost unnoticed. Having lived in Kuwait, Fella's command of the everyday Khaliji accent is even better than Asalah Nasri. The Algerian singer's album has work from all over the Gulf, with composers from Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. The album opens with some pop songs; Kel Hal Hob is a mediocre song with some good arrangement, and Mashi is quite forgettable. Shel Jedid is a more melancholy ballad and picks the album up. Ya Mawlana, a folk song, is an upbeat song reminiscent of Abo Bakr Salem's Yemen-influenced work. Ya Mesafer Lel Jefa, composed by Mohamed Abdu, carries the album title but despite some nice lyrics and music, the song feels too long. A musician in her own right, Fella couldn't resist including a song of her own creation; Inta Habibi is an Algerian song arranged by Issam El Sharayti. The album goes into traditional jalsa mode from tracks 7 to 9, with some of Saudi Arabia's most reputable poets and musicians, and traditional instruments. Sameh Allah Habibi opens with an oud solo and the song is a slow, melancholic song with beautiful ney, oud, and traditional strings. Ana Men Sedg Ahebbah brings in the Indian influence and is a heartwarming song about true love. Ya Tibi brings back the stories of the scorned lover, and is another gem in this diverse album. Ya Mesafer Lel Jefa ends with a Fayez El Said song, Yezid El Shoug, and upbeat Emirati song and the album's first single.

1. Kel Hal Hob

2. Mashi

3. Ya Mawlana

4. Shel Jedid

5. Ya Mesafer Lel Jefa

6. Inta Habibi

7. Sameh Allah Habibi

8. Ana Men Sedg Ahebbah

9. Ya Tibi

10. Yezid El Shoug

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Rouwaida Attieh - Esma'ni

The three-year wait is finally over, and Rouwaida Attieh has released her new album, Esma'ni. Under a completely new management, headed by Anoud Al Ma'aliqi, change is instantly what you expect when glancing at the glamorous cover. But Lebanese composer Imad Shamseddine is no longer on the composing team, and there are no Egyptian composers to be seen either. The album opens with Shou Sahl El Haki, a ballad with soulful lyrics, but Nasser El As'ad's lifting of Gokhan Ozen's Inkar Etme for the arrangement doesn't fit very well. His work on Bala Hob is more enjoyable with soothing piano and strings, even though the song itself is a very standard ballad. Arguably the best work on the album comes from Wissam El Amir and George Marderosian, the composers behind Rouwaida hits like Jerouhi and Ala El Mani. Wissam El Amir's compositions, Law Inta El Shams and Ana Andi Lezeh, are both great dabke songs with playful and creative lyrics. The arrangement is textbook Roger Khoury however, with too much synth and not enough real instruments. George Marderosian's compositions are diverse, as he usually is: Hayati Melki is a dabke song that shows how far Rouwaida's voice can soar, even if what Roger Khoury does with the arrangement confounds the listener. Za'al Majnoun has a simple and catchy tune, but Bassem Rezq's arrangement, with a generous serving of flowing strings, takes the song to the next level.

The album's main problem is uninspired composers, like Salim Assaf and Mazen El Ayoubi, who don't have the faintest idea how to harness the power of Rouwaida's voice. Even the choice of title song was unfortunate. While the album has about or five or so good songs, three of them were released ages before the album came out. For such a talented young woman, Rouwaida Attieh just can't get a break, let's hope this album was just growing pains.

1. Shou Sahl El Haki

2. Esma'ni

3. Wana Kol Ma A'oul

4. Law Inta El Shams

5. La Tefakker

6. Bala Hob

7. Baini Ou Baino

8. Za'al Majnoun

9. Ana Andi Lezeh

10. Hayati Melki

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Aziz Abdo - Inti Tsharrafi

After an artful entry into the music business in 2004, singer/model Aziz Abdo's sophomore album is finally in stores now. Aziz returns maturer with Inti Tsharrafi, a great mix of Lebanese, Egyptian, and Khaliji pop. The majority of the album is composed by Haitham Zayyad and arranged by Tony Saba, whose songs usually have an oriental feel. The title song, which is composed by Hisham Boulos, is an electronic pop song typical of Hadi Sharara. Hayda Yawmi is also composed by Hisham, but arranged by Dani Helou, while Howa Inti Leih is composed by Zaher El Baba and arranged by Ghassan Shu'aib. Light and fun, Inti Tsharrafi is what you'd expect from Aziz.

1. Inti Tsharrafi
2. Esta'gelti
3. Byekfi Skout
4. Ana Moghram
5. Hayda Yawmi
6. Ayami
7. Teb'od Anni
8. Howa Inti Leih
9. Teghzel Oyouni

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