Track Listing

1. Mon Amie la Rose
2. Agaba
3. Mistaneek
4. Bahlam
5. Ezzay
6. Bastet
7. Righteous Path
8. Mahlabeya
9. Bilaadi
10. Kifaya
11. One Brief Moment

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22681 in Music
• Brand: Atlas
• Released on: 1999-03-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
The swirl of Egyptian strings, hip-hop beats, love, and politics can make strange bedfellows, but once again Natasha Atlas, chanteuse and belly dancer, makes sense of it all. Singing in several languages (including French on the opener "Mon Amie la Rose") she delivers 11 exotic worldbeat tracks full of exuberance, reflection, and yearning that are at once compassionate and militant, her Arabic roots sharing center stage with her club experiences with the likes of Transglobal Underground. Funky beats, kanoun, oud, string sections, and percussion jostle for attention in the background as Atlas's serpentine vocals entwine the listener in tales of passion, injustice, and the mysteries of life. Recorded both in London and Cairo, Gedida is a truly cosmopolitan melting pot for the '90s, ranging from hip dance-floor grooves to traditional Egyptian orchestral arrangements, and Atlas, equally at home in both, is fast proving herself one of the most intriguing and original artists blending international cultures into a common musical language. --Derek Rath

Customer Reviews

Amazing
I've become totally disenchanted with American Pop over the last few years and World Beat is, for the most part, a marketing trap. It's easy to feel like you've got no choice but to drown in a sea of Oldies, if you follow me.

But, every once in a while, a real gem floats before your eyes. GEDIDA is an incredible album, full of legitimate musical inventiveness unknown on U.S. radio for decades. The fact that a tune as great as "Aqaba" can't make a dent on even the so-called "independent" or "alternative" charts is further evidence that the American Pop scene is deader than dead. Blaming it on a language difference doesn't make it right, it only helps to articulate radio programmers deaf ears.

Atlas has more imagination, a better voice, more of an artist's heart and, in all frankless, is more fun to look at than Madonna, Britney Spears, the comic Prince of Pop, or whoever the latest American marketing tool is who's ruling whatever charts people pay attention to.

Once again, American radio misses the boat.

Natacha's Best Album
Pop singer Natacha Atlas is one of the best voices in Arabic pop music, both in Egypt and in the west. Because she sings in Arabic, English and French, her music is both beautiful and easily approachable to western ears. Although at times she does play up the stereotypes, making her music "more Egyptian", she is one of the most talented pop stars around. From the romantic opening song "Mon Amie la Rose" to the stunning tracks "Kifaya" (enough) and "One Brief Moment", she enthralls you, making you want to dance, listen and even sing along. This is probably her best CD, and I strongly recommend you check out her other works if you appreciate this. Aside from the aforementioned songs, I also am particularly fond of "Bastet", "The Righteous Path" and "Bilaadi" (My Country). Check her out, especially if your new to Arabic/Egyptian pop music. She is definately an easy introduction for westerners who may be unused to Egyptian music or the Arabic language.

I LOOOOOOOOOVE this album!
I picked up this album on a whim while searching for some new middle eastern music to dance to. By the third song (Mistaneek) I was completely in love with the music and Natacha's beautiful, passionate voice. This album is truly a rare gem -an exquisite mix of traditional middle eastern instruments and rythyms with modern sounds. AND it actually works! I have since bought her previous efforts, Halim, and Diaspora, and while I recommend those as well, with Gedida she outdid herself. Natacha, I anxiously awaiting the next album!