Track Listing

1. Ya Rayah - Rachid Taha
2. Mabrouk Wo Arisna - Ali Hassan Kuban
3. Ki Kounti - Khal�d
4. Dikra - Raina Rai
5. Nahawand - Sharkiat
6. Zwit Rwit - Idir
7. Ya Maalem
8. Leali - Rasha
9. Through the Veil - Hassan Hakmoun, Jamshied Sharifi
10. Madanitche - Kadda Cherif Hadria

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #119574 in Music
• Released on: 1998-08-25
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Compilations of readily available music are rarely satisfying, and sometimes the more they try to have a theme the less satisfying they become. The Putumayo series certainly falls prey to this often, but this particular set has risen above the mass. Editors Hamid Zagzoule and Jacob Edgar have an understanding of North Africa, and provide intelligent liner notes on the artists and the music. Some selections were obvious: Khaled, Rachid Taha, Ali Hassan Kuban, and up-and-coming star Rasha. Others are new names for most listeners. On the pop side is Algerian Kadda Cherif Hadria, whose use of a light jazz piano mixed with more traditional sounds works well to showcase an excellent voice. Sharkiat also use jazz with a slightly harder edge to enhance their Nubian sound. The set follows through with artists that provide a pop-side look at the music of Algeria, Sudan, Morocco, and Egypt. The music here is intelligent and pleasant, but nothing really gets deep into the root. This is easy listening from the Maghreb. --Louis Gibson

Customer Reviews

Compelling collection for the first time listener
I'm far from being an expert in North African music, but 4-5 songs on this CD are truly excellent. I've listened to the CD about 15 times and still haven't tired of it. So far all the Putamayo collections I have are excellent. I even like the cover art and liner notes. It's nice to see that they took the time to write out explanations of all the songs and a bit of background about the artists. These discs are good learning tools to get enough information about these artists to appreciate music from various different cultures.

Delightful, modern Arabic music.
I first heard this CD playing in an ethnic shop in Berkeley, CA, and I inquired as to the title. Among other things, I am a dancer and teacher of North African, Middle Eastern and Central Asian Dance, both modern and traditional. I have also traveled widely in North Africa and the Middle East. This music is delightful, modern, urban Arabic music. I find the rhythms of this CD infectious, and I want to start dancing. The music is also great for just listening. This CD will make an excellent addition to the music I use in my classes. I was pleased to find the Kabylie song, "Zwit Rwit" by Idir, included among the selections. For those who would like to hear more Kabylie music, I can recommend the CD "Planete Kabylie, le Meilleur de la Musique Berbere D'Algerie", which includes the same song. This CD is definitely worth the money.

Great compilation
This is a terrific compilation, although I think the title "An Arabic musical odyssey" is a little misleading. My husband is Arabic and he couldn't understand a lot of these songs. Either it was because of the dialect or because they were not sung in Arabic. "Mabrouk Wo Arisna" for example, is sung in the language of Kenuz. "Ki Kounti" is a duet sung in Arabic and Spanish, while "Zwit Rwit" is sung in the Berber language. The majority of these 10 songs, six in all, are Algerian, 2 are Egyptian, 1 is from Sudan, while the other is a mix, from Iran and Morocco. And so, while it cannot really be termed an "Arabic" album as such, it is still very exotic and entertaining. And the 23 page booklet is very interesting with a page devoted to each artist and song.