Visiting Forgotten Arabia
Zekeriyah | Chicago, IL | 08/31/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The third compilation in EMI Arabia's brilliant 'Arabian Masters' series, which high-lighted some of the great names in Arabic classical music, this album continues where the first two left off. Once again, we get several (short) selections from Oum Kalthoum, Farid al Atrache, Abdel Halim Hafez, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Fairouz and Warda. The only disappointing part, however, is that after two double disc sets, this release has only a single disc to fit all the songs on. Although EMI Arabia did continue the 'Arabian Masters' series, releasing several discs each focusing on a particular artist and her/his work, I believe this was the last compilation that they released in the series. Thats actually a pity, as I've often recommended the first volume in the series to those who wanted to try Arabic classical music without necessarily having a background in it to begin with. Still, if you want to hear the foundations of Arabic music, this is really a good place to look. Assuming you can actually find this CD at any rate. The selections range from the Golden Years of Cairo's music industry to more recent recordings by Fairouz and Warda, so you get a very wide range here. The emphasis, however, seems to be on the talented Farid al Atrache.
Incidnetally, since Amazon does not have the track list, here is what you get on this CD:
1. Ich Enta - Farid al Atrache
2. Li Beirut - Fairouz (featuring Fairuz at her best)
3. El Hawa Hawaya - Abdel Halim Hafez
4. Ahbabina Ya Eyn - Warda
5. Han el Wed - Muhammad Abdel Wahhab
6. Afdihi In Hafidza el Hawa - Oum Kalthoum
7. Habbeena Habbeena - Farid al Atrache (another great song)
8. Noura Noura - Farid al Atrache
9. Habbeytek - Claude Ciari
Like I said, this album and it's sisters provide a slice of Arabic classical music at it's best, so if thats what your looking for, then these releases will be right up your alley."
