Search - Natacha Atlas :: Something Dangerous

An Unfortunate Disappointment...

harpsikid | Newport Beach, CA | 06/02/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Having been a fan of Natacha Atlas' since her first album, I have to say I'm seeing something of a hearbreaking decline.. But before I even go into how little I like this album, I should say in all fairness that I'm just not at all a fan of rap or R&B in English or any other language. Natacha implemented these both in past albums in varying degrees, but this present album seems far more focused on those styles than any of her previous works, which hurts its entertainment value for me. Whereas before the Arabic sound was in abundance and the Western influences secondary, the current album reverses the trend and seems to supplement hip-hop and R&B songs (performed many times by guest artists) with some occasional beautiful singing from Natacha. This is certainly a diverse album, and I'm hoping that was Natacha's sole intent -- to show us she's capable of this style as well. There is no denying that she is easily one of the best vocalists in music today, and the fact that she is also so active in the actual song writing process also serves to bring her a step above many of the other artists. With that said, I hope her future releases will revert to the old creative fusion of traditional Arabic and modern Western influences so many of her fans -- myself included -- loved. This album, unfortunately, gives us very little of that."

Natacha use your Atlas and come home!

Orenda | USA | 11/02/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Die-Hard Natacha Fan since Transglobal Underground days....
This album is hardly worthy of Natacha's name, its totally unlike her former albums in which the thing that stood out most was the beautiful melodies intoxicating rhythms
and Natacha's pristine vocals.
The whole style is unrecognizable, the only track being "When I close my eyes", is reminiscent of the Natacha Atlas style. "Daymalhum" is very transglobal and not bad.. "Adams Lullaby" was sweet but lacking some traditional Natacha Spice.."Jaanaman" was cute, kinda...."Simple Heart" is nice but just boring...
"Layali" forced me to do something unprecedented in Natacha fan history...Skip to the next song. "Its a Man's World" is just a simply offensive song to begin with, patronizing and ignorant..
but to hear it sung in such a weakling mediocre vocal by Natacha is baffling....where did her spunk and power of her voice go?
The Nightingale has morphed into a regular mocking bird.
I hate the new direction she is going in; the empty soulless music of pop, interjections which interrupt the singing but offer nothing of value in return....leaving you insulted. Rehashed lyrics again and again. "Something Dangerous" being a perfect example.
She uses some of the same lyrics from Gedida, as well as other former songs, in the entire album but sings them a little differently...."Eye of the Duck" with ugly idiotic Shaggy-style rapping trashing the quality of the album.....how dissappointing!
Remember the good old days of Transglobal Underground when the rapping was actually poetry? There's just nothing original about this album.
Hoping she returns to the artistic/creative root from whence she came, shame to waste such a gifted voice!!!!"

Natacha Does It Again!

Zekeriyah | Chicago, IL | 06/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow! This CD is a wonderful new move for Natacha Atlas. She retains her beautiful voice and wonderful unique style, but somehow this CD is new and different. I think theres a bit more influence from western pop styles on this CD (as opposed to some of her earlier releases), but it still is filtered through Arabic/Middle Eastern styles. Featuring contributions from Tuup, Princess Julianna, Kalia, Z, Myra Boyle, Sinead O'Connor, Niara Scarlett and Mona, this CD adds everything from hip-hop to Bollywood to Natacha's already ecclectic style.
The CD starts off with the nice, mellow track "Adam's Lullaby" where Natacha shows off that wonderful voice of hers, and goes straight to a reggae track "The Eye of the Duck", which sounds alot like some of the new stuff from Jamaica or Africa (but still has a very strong Egyptian pop influence on it; actually, maybe it sounds a bit like Bhangra too). "Eye of the Duck" was simply amazing. The title song, "Something Dangerous", plays up on the exotic and the mysterious, keeping Natacha's characteristic Middle Eastern style, but making it more appreciable to western ears. Another track "Janamaan", was simply amazing and borrowed a lot from Bollywood musicals. Personally, its my favorite track on the CD. "Just Like a Dream" and "Man's World" show off the amazing range of Natacha's beautiful voice. "Layli" was a very smooth, slick hip-hop number, showing another side of Atlas. "Simple Heart" is another nice dancey track, followed by the moody, atmospheric "Daymalhum" and the rhythmic rapping of "Who's My Baby". "When I Close My Eyes" seems to call more on Egyptian/Arabic pop music (which is always appreciated), as does "This Realm". I liked "Le Printemps". Its a very nice atmospheric song, highlighting Natacha Atlas's wonderful voice. Finally, the CD closes out with "Like the Last Drop", another slow ephemeral song playing up on Arabic song.
Ultimately this was a wonderful CD, and a must for fans of Natacha Atlas. If your new to Atlas, you might want to check out one of her earlier releases like "Gedida", but you'll still appreciate this CD. It seems to be a new move for this incredible and remarkable artist (after all, how many people could fuse Arabic/Egyptian pop with techno-dance beats, reggae, hip-hop and bollywood musicals?). I have to give her credit. This was an amazing CD, and completely different from what I was expecting, but still a wonderful addition to my CD collection. Few artists could have successfully pulled something like this off. Go out and buy this CD and I garuntee you will be moved, even if you have never been exposed to Arabic music in your life."