Search - Dania :: El Hilwa Di

My newest favorite cd....

Neil J. Hajba | Los Angeles, CA United States | 06/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dania has surely grown as a person and truly matured into her professionalism and singing voice. In the album, Dania mixes old and new, and remakes some popular songs from different cultures (She does a duet with a famous Latino singer on one of the tracks!) Pretty, sexy, and sultury, yet funloving and gaurenteed to get your feet and hips moving to the beat El Hilwa Di is a disk you will listen to over and over again! Highly recommended!"

Rich and Stirring

Night Sky Tiger | eastish of eden | 02/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like Middle Eastern dance music, with its strong beat, traditional instrumentation, and gorgeous female vocals, you will listen to this CD, over and over again. I first heard Dania on the CD, "Arabic Groove;" featuring various artists, and with Dania's song, "Leiley," on it. I just couldn't hear that song enough, so I went looking for a Dania CD here on Amazon. To be honest, I bought this one initially because I wasn't so sure I would really enjoy a CD by Dania alone, and thus, I bought the one that was the least expensive, and I have already gotten my money's worth, as I keep sending the CD changer back to "El Hilwa Di." I admit that the first three or four tracks on this CD are my favorites, and I play those repeatedly, often finishing a workout with them...but this CD is well worth taking the time to just sit and listen to, without distraction.



I really enjoy the production, and the separation of voices and instruments between the five speaker surround system that I have my CD changer channeled through; it is rich, and never fails to make me smile, although, as the other reviewer stated, it is hard to just sit and listen, as the songs do energize you.



Whenever I listen to Middle Eastern music, I always think about how cinematic it is, as it just seems to stir something deep inside me, the same way that certain film images do. The image on the screen, seemingly so much bigger than life, can instantly sweep you away emotionally, and so can this music. The second song in particular, has just a few seconds of very stirring violin music, and I play it over and over,for the sheer pleasure it gives.

Add to all that Dania's beautiful voice, carrying the listener with it, as it rises and falls, creating a sumptuous listening experience, as she moves through a variety of musical influences and styles.

Highly recommended!

By the way, the song, "Leiley, is not on this CD, regardless of what the editorial notes say...that song is, I think, on "Dania 2."Please note that "Leiley" is also on Dania's newest CD, "The Best of Dania," along with several of the songs on this CD. This CD collection of Dania's hits is worth looking for, as it has a terrific synthesized version of "El Hilwa Di," along with the more familiar version...and the synthesized bird on it, joining in the chorus (you have to hear it, to appreciate it!), is a real hoot. You might find "The Best of Dania" CD is easier to come up with than this one...and it is fun, from start to finish!!"