Nawal Al Zoghbi - Khalas Sameht

Nawal's seven-year stint with Alam El Phan/Mazzika ended this year with her return to Rotana, whom she left on bad terms after her 2001 hit, Toul Omri. Rotana PR's slogan spread through the media fast: "نوال و روتانا سوى من جديد" (Nawal and Rotana, together again). Nawal, who produces her albums herself, had her album ready for release soon after and in January 2008, Khalas Sameht was released. Sporting not only a new haircut, but an almost completely different team of musicians, and a new director for her video, Nawal Al Zoghbi's style had changed in almost every aspect. Khalas Sameht, Leih Moushta'alak, and Law Kan were the typical pop that Nawal has gotten us used to, however, in the vein of her previous album, Nawal was sticking with a more Arabic musical style in the rest of the album. Albi Es'alou and Shou Hal Alb employ strong Arabic beats and strings, coupled with electronic beats and motifs, in Hadi Sharara's signature style. El Hawa We Amailou, Tigi Mennak, and Ma Tes'al Alaya are distinctly Egyptian songs, and thoroughly enjoyable. Overall, the album is a younger, and much more enjoyable effort from Nawal Al Zoghbi.



1. Leih Moushta'alak
2. Albi Es'alou
3. Khalas Sameht
4. El Hawa We Amailou
5. Law Kan
6. Tigi Mennak
7. Ma Tes'al Alaya
8. Shou Hal Alb

Download Here
256 Kbps + Covers

Laura Khalil - Hekayeh

Laura Khalil's soulful and versatile voice allows her to sing everything from Lebanese ballads like Ma Tkhabbi Alayeh and Hekayeh to more Egyptian songs like Ammal Ala Battal and Settin Alf Salama. The album makes no attempt to sound western or poppy, and is refreshing in that way. Composers on the album include Walid Saad, Salim Salameh, and the late Riyad El Hamshari.



1. Ma Tkhabbi Alayeh
2. Haremni Oyounak
3. Bakhaf Ala Za'lak
4. Ammal Ala Battal
5. Hekayeh
6. Bte'telni Haik
7. Settin Alf Salama
8. Hekayeh (Instrumental)

Download Here
256 Kbps + Covers

Yara - Inta Menni

Yara's long-awaited second album is in a completely different direction than her hit debut, Twassa Fiyeh, and understandably so. The only musician on both Twassa Fiyeh and Inta Menni is Yara's producer, Tarek Abou Jaoudeh. The majority of this album is arranged by Jean-Marie Riachi, with one by Tarek Madkour, and another by Ralph Khoury (from The R.E.G. Project). Yara, like Wael Kfoury and Assi Al Hillani, is one of the artists who lost an integral part of their team from Tarek Abou Jaoudeh and Hadi Sharara's highly-publicized fallout. Also, this album has two Lebanese composers, Tarek Abou Jaoudeh and Wissam El Amir. The rest of the songs are by Egyptian composers (Rami Gamal, Mostafa Sabri, Mahmoud Khayami), with two by Khaliji composers (Nasser El Saleh, Ahmed El Hermi), and another by Greek composer Phoebus. In short, expect a completely different album from Yara's first.



1. Jayeh
2. Hessak Einak
3. Inta Menni
4. Alli La'
5. Hawel Marra
6. Bi Gemlet Elli Rah
7. Ma Yhemak
8. Haddi A'sabek
9. Bahlam Bi Ainaik
10. Inta Menni (Remix)

Download Here
256 Kbps + Covers

Melissa - Mfakker Halak Min

Melissa's initial entry into the music scene as "Elissa 2.0" with Elissa's former producer, Jean Saliba, hindered her success in 2006. Her first two singles, Leil Ya Leil and Kam Sana were hits nonetheless and put Melissa's name out into the fray of new pop stars. Like her previous album, Mfakker Halak Min is, for the most part, the fruit of Jean Saliba's collaboration with Turkish composers. However, this time around Melissa leaves the Elissa-style ballads behind for a more club-oriented album. Rather than Jean-Marie Riachi and Nasser El As'ad, this new dance album is arranged by Hadi Charara, Aytekin Kurt, and Walid Sheraki. For those who liked Melissa's old style, it's a drastic change, however for those who are looking for a break from the ballads, this is your album. The album is well-suited to Melissa's otherwise limited vocal range, and enjoyable from beginning to end. Also included is her hit summer 2007 duet with Dr. Alban, Habibi. Tracks 4 to 7 are all club and trance-influenced, while tracks 1-3 are have a slower pop pace, and track 8 is hip hop.



1. Mfakker Halak Min
2. Wehyat Eineik
3. Rouh
4. Inta Eih Fi Hayati
5. Ta'lali Awam
6. Khodou Eini
7. Habibi Ertah
8. Habibi (Somebody Call My Name) [feat. Dr. Alban]

Download Here
256 Kbps + Covers

Grace Deeb - Ma Btishbah Hada

It is when Grace Deeb experiments with Arabic music that she gets interesting, rather than singing overly western-influenced songs. Grace's vocal style may not be "oriental" but she excels at just about anything. She has sung western-style ballads like the hit Ana Habbayt and Comme Toi, but she has also sung Ghannali, Endak Khabar, and Ghinniyat, which are very oriental songs. Naturally, when Grace released Ma Btishbah Hada, I was eager to see how she had evolved. Thankfully, Grace's 2008 album is a great example of how she manages to mix Arabic themes with western ones, and coupled with interesting lyrics. Grace's first single of the album, O'thorini is a great mix of Arabic and pop beats, with Arabic strings in the background. The album does not disappoint at all with interesting tunes like Ba'ref Laish, Eini Fe Eino While many will be disappointed by the fact the album seems to be much simpler, and less diverse, than Grace's first two albums. The absence of George Marderosian and Boudi Naoum, both of whom greatly contributed to her career, is unexpected. With the exception of Eini Fe Eino and Bo'dak Anni, the album is almost completely composed by Grace herself. Perhaps the absence of producer Anoud Ma'aliqi's name from the CD explains the major changes in Grace's musical team.



1. O'thorini
2. Ma Btishbah Hada
3. Eini Fe Eino
4. Ba'ref Laish
5. Bo'dak Anni
6. Asfa
7. Gelli Keif

Download Here
256 Kbps + Covers

Najwa Karam - Am Bemzah Ma'ak

Najwa Karam's seventeenth album furthers the reputation of both excellence and musical evolution that she has upheld for the past two decades. This album, perhaps more than any of its predecessors, shows the many faces of Najwa and her music. Am Bemzah Ma'ak's star-studded list of lyricists and musicians includes Nizar Francis, Saoud El Sharbatli, Melhem Barakat, Wissam El Amir, Imad Shamseddine, Hadi Charara, Mohamed Mostafa, and Tamim, whom Najwa works with for the first time. Najwa's past two albums focused primarily on more traditional Lebanese songs, with a few exceptions. However, this album's music ranges from dabke and sha'bi to more jazz and pop-influenced songs that still maintain an Arabic feel. Though not an instant crowd-pleaser like her Kibir El Hob album, this album's style is mature and something you will want listen to over and over.



1. Inta El Shams
2. Am Bemzah Ma'ak
3. Gatalna El Khouf
4. Ammant Galbi
5. El Helm El Abyad
6. Kammel Ala Rouhi
7. Ta'a Khabbik
8. Ma Bkhabbi Alaik

Download Here
256 Kbps + Covers

Madeleine Matar - Bahebbak Wa Dari

Another underrated, but definitely top-notch album: Madeleine Matar's 2006 album, Bahebbak Wa Dari. Two songs were shot and released on video clip channels, the beautiful "Bahebbak Wa Dari" and the catchy "Betlawen Leih Alaya", and they met with success. However, if you didn't listen to the rest of this album, you missed one great album. Madeleine worked with many talented musicians, from Mahmoud Khayami to the late Riyad El Hamshari.



1. Bahebbak Wa Dari
2. Tab'ak Sa'b
3. Nessani
4. Bahebbak Wa Dari (Instrumental)
5. Betlawen Leih Alaya
6. Sabbar Habibak
7. Shar'i Habibak
8. Shaka Fik

Download Here
256 Kbps + Covers