Kadim Al Sahir - Ila Tilmitha

Kadim Al Sahir rarely disappoints, but from time to time come works that are unforgettable. Ila Tilmitha tones down the pop, and while the classical songs are impeccable, the album has a focus on Iraqi songs. The album opens with Ahebbini, a song he has yet to eclipse. The song takes a beautiful Nizar Qabbani poem, couples it with one of Kadim's most powerful compositions yet, and rich, classically-influenced oriental arrangement by Hisham Niyaz. Furshat Raml El Bahr, which Shahd Barmada professed she loved, is an intimate song about lovers on the beach. Ila Tilmitha is a thoroughly oriental affair with one of Nizar Qabbani's most famous poems. The song is arranged beautifully, with moody strings, a calm accordion, and heavy percussion. Sayedat Omri is another heartfelt song, with a slower pace but the same rich feel to the music. Eih Ya'ni changes things up a little, with a more jalsa-style sound, and is another gem. Sayeghin El Thahab, Emshi Bhadawa, and May Ward are lighthearted Iraqi pop songs, while Eshsar Eshda'wa is a full-on Iraqi chobi song. The album closes with Ashkou Ayaman, Kadim's first and less famous duet with Asma Lmnawar. While the song is not the mess Kabberi Aqlaki is, it is more of a recitation when compared to the genre-defining songs that precede it on this album. Ila Tilmitha is a great introduction to the music of the Caesar Al Tarab Kadim Al Sahir.

1. Ahebbini Bila Ouqadi

2. Furshat Raml El Bahr

3. Ila Tilmitha

4. Sayeghin El Thahab

5. Emshi Bhadawa

6. Sayedat Omri

7. Kabberi Aqlaki

8. Mawal Ghorfat El Mekyaj

9. May Ward

10. Eih Ya'ni

11. Mawal Dhagat Alaya

12. Eshsar Eshda'wa

13. Ashkou Ayaman (with Asma Lmnawar)

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Magida el Roumi - Ibhath Anni

Like Kadim Al Sahir, Magida el Roumi is one of the few that truly succeeded in fusing Arabic and classical music together in the 1990s. Beautiful poetry, like Dr. Souad Al Sabah's Kon Sadiqi (Be My Friend), were turned into songs that spoke to Arab audiences from Oman to Morocco. After the huge success Magida experienced with Kalimat, she sang her second Nizar Qabbani poem, Ma'a Jarida, in 1994. While Dr. Jamal Salama's music is more engaging and interesting, Ihsan El Mounzer benefited from a much more romantic poem with 1991's Kalimat. Lan A'oud and Ghannou Ma'i are also composed by Dr. Jamal Salama, though the you can feel the classical influence in the former while the latter is an upbeat oriental song. Elie Choueiri's compositions, Saqata Al Qina' (The Mask Has Fallen) and Oum Etthadda (Dare), are both patriotic marches that call for resistance in the face of both internal and external threats. Magida's father, Halim, composed Mararti Fi Khayali and the album's sole Egyptian song, Ya Mkahal Remshak. The album's title song is a beautiful ballad in classical Arabic, and lyrics aside, Abdo Monzer does a an amazing job on the composition. Tracks 1-3 are arranged by Dr. Jamal Salama, while 4-9 are arranged by Abdo Monzer.



1. Ma'a Jarida
2. Lan A'oud
3. Saqata Al Qina'
5. Mararti Fi Khayali
6. Ya Mkahal Remshak
7. Ibhath Anni
8. Kon Sadiqi
9. Oum Etthadda

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Magida el Roumi - Kalimat

Magida el Roumi's 1991 album was one of the most important in her career. Reissued several times, and with the iconic title song etched in the minds of Arab listeners everywhere, Kalimat set the stage for what was to come from this living Lebanese legend. Combining "the women's poet" Nizar Qabbani's beautiful poetry with Ihsan El Mounzer's beautiful fusion of classical and Arabic music, Kalimat is one of those songs you never forget. The great Mayada El Hennawi also talked about her love for this song when interviewed on Shako Mako.



1. Kalimat
2. Esma' Albi
3. El Iyam
4. Inta We Ana
5. Koullon Youghanni Ala Lailah
6. Beirut Set Eddounia

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Asmahan - Les Archives De La Musique Arabe

Born Amal Al Atrache to Syrian Druze nobility, Asmahan's life was almost as interesting as her sublime voice. Asmahan's father, Fahd Al Atrache, was the governor of the Demirci district in Ottoman Turkey. After Turkey lost Syria to the French, the Atrache family fled fearing Turkish retribution and Asmahan was born on the ship that took them back to Syria. Having lost their wealth, Asmahan's mother was forced to sing for a living and became young Asmahan, and her brother Farid's inspiration. One of the earliest singers to introduce the western influence to Arabic music, Asmahan's voice excelled at almost anything. Though Farid lived quite a long life and became a legendary singer, actor, and composer, Asmahan was not so lucky. Her mysterious death in Egypt was blamed on the intelligence wars of the time, and it was rumored she was a spy. Other more ridiculous conspiracy theories account even accused Oum Kalthoum of having her murdered "to kill off the competition". This is a compilation of Asmahan's greatest songs, and even includes Ya Habibi Ta'ala and Layali El Ons, which are still concert favorites to this day.



1. Aleik Salat Allah
2. Layta Lel Barqi
3. Farraq Ma Beinna
4. Naweit Adari
5. Layali El Bashar
6. Ash'inha
7. Layali El Ons
8. Ya Habibi Ta'ala

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Asalah - Ighdab

Ighdab marked Asalah's first (and only) collaboration with the great Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani. The title song, which is composed by Helmi Bakr, is a lengthy qasida, and stylistically very different than the first four tracks, which are composed by Mohamed Diya'eddin. The poem talks of an angry lover, and how his anger and attempts to hurt her will not make her falter, "for you are like a child, we love children no matter how they hurt us... And without waves, there would not be seas." Law Alf Ahebbak and Batthadda Eyounak are typical 1990s Egyptian maksoum songs with a synth, fast percussion, accordion, a bass line and little in the way of musical innovation. Magrouh Sout El Sa'at and Ma Tes'alnish are both slower, Egyptian ballads.



1. Law Alf Ahebbak
2. Ma Tes'alnish
3. Batthadda Eyounak
4. Magrouh Sout El Sa'at
5. Ighdab

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Kadim Al Sahir - Sowar

Kadim Al Sahir, a.k.a. the Caesar of Arabic Song, hasn't put out an album like Sowar in years. Having garnered the majority of his success from grand songs that brought life to the poetry of the great Nizar Qabbani the past few years, many of Kadim's old fans missed the days when he sung songs that were purely Iraqi. Kadim's 2008 album consists of thirteen tracks, primarily in the Iraqi dialect, and mostly upbeat tracks he composed himself. The album opens weakly with Set El Helwat, which is too stylistically similar to Kadim's 2005 hit, El Ebnaya. Ensa El Aalam, the album's first single, picks the album up and sets a much more suitable tone. Akhiran, a slow ballad, takes the speed down a notch, but Alamak picks up where Ensa El Aalam left off and brings back the Iraqi percussion and playful lyrics. Teheb Tetdalla' and Sadaf are typical Kadim songs, with a pace that is not too slow, and expressive lyrics. Makheth El Rouh and Om El Sheila are also enjoyable songs with a traditional style, even incorporating the clapping typical of Iraq and the Gulf region. Tehebbeni and Sowar are the two Khaliji songs on the album, composed by Mohamed Shafiq. Aayel, an old Iraqi folk song, and Hat Hodnak round up the Iraqi songs on the album, and the album ends with a Nizar Qabbani poem, Ma'a Baghdadiya.



1. Set El Helwat
2. Ensa El Aalam
3. Akhiran
4. Alamak
5. Teheb Tetdalla'
6. Om El Sheila
7. Makheth El Rouh
8. Sowar
9. Sadaf
10. Tehebbeni
11. Hat Hodnak
12. Aayel
13. Ma'a Baghdadiya

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Carole Samaha - Oughniat El Toufoula

Carole Samaha began as an actress on the Rahbani stage, and acted in plays such as Akher Ayam Sokrat (The Last Days of Socrates), Abu Tayeb Al Mutanabi and Al Nizam Al Jadid (The New Order). Before she transitioned into mainstream pop, Carole sang Aasheqat Allah, an album of religious songs, and two singles, Be Sabah El Alf El Talet (by Mansour Rahbani) and Oughniat El Toufoula (by Mansour & Oussama Rahbani). This album serves as a good compilation of Carole's work with the Rahbani family. Coming predominantly from plays, many of the songs on this album tend to be lyric-focused. Oughniat El Toufoula and Be Sabah El Al El Talet are humanitarian songs, the former for children and the latter about peace (or the lack thereof). Oussama Rahbani's Ana Law Be'der Rouh La Indak is a purely oriental song reminiscent of Fairuz's early career. Two songs from Sokrat make it on to the CD; Wehyatak Dallak Elli, which incorporates an Eastern European feel, and La Ta'rif Issmi, which is mellower and more traditional. Ataf An'oud El Enab (from Al Nizam Al Jadid) and Eftahli El Bab are more typical of western theatre, thought the former is the more dramatic of the two.



1. Oughniat El Toufoula
2. Be Sabah El Alf El Talet
3. Ana Law Be'der Rouh La Indak
4. Wehyatak Dallak Elli
5. Eftahli El Bab
6. Ataf An'oud El Enab
7. La Ta'rif Issmi

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Marwan Khoury - Asr El Shawq

Asr El Shawq is Marwan Khoury's third album, and it succeeded his first successful CD, 2004's Kel El Asayed. Like Kel El Asayed was, Asr El Shawq's songs are all written and composed by Marwan Khoury. However, unlike it's predecessor, which was arranged by Bilal El Zein, Asr El Shawq is arranged by Claude Chalhoub, Jean-Marie Riachi, Hadi Sharara, Adel Ayesh, Hani Siblini, and Mohamed Kebbe. Claude Chalhoub gives Asr El Shawq and Helweh El Hayat a classical air, while Hadi Sharara gives an upbeat electronic-influenced feel to La Tfakker. Mohamed Kebbe brings a mix of both classical and R&B on Ma Endon Khabar. Jean-Marie Riachi mainly arranges the more mellow or traditional-style songs on this album, like Khayef La Trouhi and We B'ellak Shou. The final track is an instrumental version of the hit Asr El Shawq by Claude Chalhoub on solo violin. Though Marwan Khoury is seemingly cursed by the inability to produce for himself the hits he has produced for so many Arab singers, this album is his most polished and enjoyable.



1. Asr El Shawq
2. Andi Sho'our
3. La Tfakker
4. Ma Endon Khabar
5. Khayef La Trouhi
6. Ya Men Bi Dam'i
7. Khallina N'ish
8. We B'ellak Shou
9. Helweh El Hayat
10. Asr El Shawq (Instrumental)

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Magida el Roumi - E'tazalt El Gharam

Talented, outspoken, patriotic, and a UN Goodwill Ambassador, Magida el Roumi has become one of Lebanon's, and the Arab World in general, most significant personalities. At the beginnings of her career, many thought that the young Studio Al Fan winner sought to compete with Fairuz. Like Fairuz, she was mixing East and West in her style, and primarily sang in classical and Lebanese Arabic. She was also the daughter of Halim El Roumi, the producer who gave Fairuz her stage name, put her on the air, and introduced her to the Rahbani family. Though both were influenced by Western music, Fairuz introduced jazz into her music with Ziad Rahbani, while Magida's style was influenced by classical Western music. Her signature style, melding beautiful classical Arabic poetry with music that combines the best of classical Arabic and Western music, produced many hits like Kalimat and Kon Sadiqi. Magida excels in the traditional tarab style, but she is also a soprano and has several operatic songs, like a rendition of the Ave Maria and her duet with Jose Carreras, Light the Way.

E'tazalt El Gharam (I Have Retired from Love) was a welcome return for Magida to the mainstream music scene in 2006. Both of her 2003 albums, Cithare Du Ciel and Erhamni Ya Allah, were religious ones, and her last secular album, Ouhibbouka Wa Ba'd, was released in 1998. This album was both familiar and new for Magida, with musicians she has worked with for over a decade and others for the first time. Al Hob Wal Wafa' (Love and Fidelity), composed by Dr. Abdelrab Idriss, is a poem in classical Arabic and reminiscent of Magida's early work with the great Yemeni-Saudi composer. Idriss' other song, Fi Lailika Al Sari, Halim El Roumi's Latin-twinged Ya M'azeb Albi, Joseph Khalife's operatic Sawfa Nabqa, and Ihsan El Mounzer's Kif are all also in the signature style of her previous albums, melding the beauty of classical music from the East and West. On the other hand, E'tazalt El Gharam was her first collaboration with Melhem Barakat. Along with its broadway-inspired video, it became one of 2006's biggest hits. Magida collaborated with Marwan Khoury (Ghanni Lel Hob and Ouhibbouka Jiddan), Jean-Marie Riachi (composed Bel Alb Khallini and arranged tracks 1-4), Claude Chalhoub (arranged Ghanni Lel Hob), and İsmail Tunçbilek (arranged Al Hob Wal Wafa' and Fi Lailika Al Sari) for the first time. She also sang an Arabic rendition of Adagio, titled Habibi, and Mendelssohn's Wedding March, titled Nashid El Zafaf (The Wedding Song).



1. Ouhibbouka Jiddan
2. Habibi
3. E'tazalt El Gharam
4. Bel Alb Khallini
5. Kif
6. Ghanni Lel Hob
7. Al Hob Wal Wafa'
8. Nashid El Zafaf
9. Fi Lailika Al Sari
10. Ya M'azeb Albi
11. Sawfa Nabqa

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Assi Al Hillani - Etr El Mahabba

Lebanese singer Assi Al Hillani has built a reputation of excellence, and though this album is early in his chain of successes, it remains one of his most memorable albums. Assi, as always, explores countless styles in this album. Dayem Doum (Always Forever) is a typical Boudi Naoum composition, with an upbeat western pop feel, while songs like Samma'ni Kalam, Howara, and Telli have a more authentic Lebanese feel. Oyounou Al Shawq (Eyes of Love) and Admantou Hawaki (I Am Addicted to Your Love) both show Assi experimenting with poetry in fos'ha (classical) Arabic, but while the former has a classical Arabic feel, similar to Kadim Al Sahir, the latter combines both classical and modern elements, something that was relatively new in 2001, and was done also by Yuri Mrakadi in Arabiyon Ana that year.



1. El Wafa Enwan
2. Dayem Doum
3. Samma'ni Kalam
4. Admantou Hawaki
5. Howara
6. La Tesaddeg
7. Sibouni Atkallem
8. Meshtaq La Eyounek
9. Khallini Haddak
10. Oyounou Al Shawq
11. Telli
12. Etr El Mahabba

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