Search - Brothers of the Baladi :: Eye on the World

Nice background music, good belly dancing songs

02/07/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The music by the Brothers Of The Baladi has been popular among belly dancers since the early 1980's, and their first few releases were devoted entirely to Middle Eastern music. The word "baladi" itself is an Arabic word for "home town". In recent years, they have taken their music in the direction of more mainstream appeal, but they still have a lot to offer the dance community.Although most of the songs on Eye On The World are of Middle Eastern origin, a couple of the cuts are from elsewhere. The overall choice of instrumentation for this album gives the music a New Age flavor. As someone who likes Middle Eastern music, I really enjoyed this CD because it gives a new sound to old favorites.Six of the cuts that appear on Eye On The World would be quite suitable for belly dancing use: Mastoom Mastoom (Persian), Ah Ya Zein (Arabic), Oud Taxim, Bouzouki Taxim, Backbeat, Gole Sangiam (Persian), and Dere Dere (Turkish). Backbeat is an improvised percussion solo. The two taxim cuts are both improvised instrumental solos, one on the oud (a Middle Eastern instrument which was the ancestor of the lute) and one on the bouzouki (an instrument widely used in Greek music).Another interesting Middle Eastern song on this CD is Lamma Bada, a 10th-century classical Arab piece. Although it's fascinating to listen to, its Samai (10/8) rhythm would make it too challenging for most belly dancers to use in a performance."Paint It Black" is a very interesting arrangement of the popular Rolling Stones song. "Twa Corbies" is a haunting Scottish song that I also found myself wanting to listen to over and over."

What I Liked and What I Didn't Like About Eye on the World

Zarsitti bint Khan ( Altajin ) | Laredo, Texas United States | 08/25/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am giving my opinion from a dancer's perspective. There's quite a bit of dance material in this one. Mastoom Mastoom, an old Persian love song, would be great for an entrance bit. It's upbeat and catchy, with mostly traditional intsrumentation. And the 2nd track! Ah ya Zein, an Egyptian love song, makes me wiggle in my seat! I find it hard, if not impossible, to sit through! It's a " Get up and dance " tune, for sure. There is a particularly lovely rendition of the old ( and I mean old ) Lamma Bada. There is something in it's strains that pull at the heart strings. There is also a fun rendition of the Rolling Stones' classic, Paint It Black. Gole Sangiem ( Flower of Stone ) is beautiful in a rather mournful way. Might be ok for veilwork, should a dancer wish to express a sad note in her routine. All in all, I really love this CD. The only reason I don't give it a 5 is because, as a dancer, I'd like every track on every CD to be perfect for dance routines. Well, Twa Corbies just doesn't appeal to me that way. But at least when it can't be danced to, you can have it for your listening enjoyment."