Video: Nariman Mansour Is The Egypt's Iron Woman

Nariman Mansour might as well be a super hero. At the time of crisis in her country, she and her team manged to make a sci-fi filled music video with Iron Man Suit and an amazing Aerial shot of Cairo. I like the outfits and styles she chose to sport.

This is most certainly a dance track for people who like Red Bull. I love the mastering and the computer affect on the track, but I had to say it I am not sure if this is her natural vice or some computer affects, but in both cases, she might need more vocal coaching.

Nariman Mansour - Bab'a Btabe'ty / ناريمان منصور - ببقى بطبيعتي

Video: Sex And The City Mai Hariri & Fulla - Bahwak / مي حريري و فلة - بهواك

Female musicians do not collaborate often, not clear why. There has not been many duets where ladies share the stage and the lines of a song. But there is no conventional wisdom that says one is not supposed to do that.  It took two ladies in their prime to bring about fresh music video between two Arab ladies in recent history.

Lebanese Mai Hariri  and Algerian Fulla released a duet and a music video to go with their romantic song. Together offer one lethal combination, the incredible looks, the unmatched sense of style and most of all their singing voices. Each of the songstress does her thing very well, I love the Algerian part performed by Fulla--I think she should do more of this.

The music video had to be glamorous, lots of fashion, nice homes and fancy cars. This is the rich life everyone, get used to it. It feels like it has been filmed somewhere in Hollywood. And yes, there's an eye candy shirtless guy by the pool too. The music is your average house mix upbeat track. When you watch the music video, the lyrics are the last thing on your mind.

The music videos has it's Disney"up" moment with balloons and all. Not sure how I feel about ladies stepping on almost naked dudes. The dancers make the song relevant to some folks. I think the director for this clip deserves an ward for mixing so many different elements and making a watchable music video

Mai Hariri & Fulla - Bahwak / مي حريري و فلة - بهواك

Greek Mandolin Music Inspires Arab Composers

For a really long time, many Arab singers have looked to Greek music for inspiration. Many Arabic began to feel a bit like the ones in Greek in the late to 90s. We can thank Amr Diab for that--he went to that country and made a hit song with one of its songstresses. Then came a new wave of Lebanese composers (Iwan) who took Greek melodies and made them into Arabic ones.

I now can tell if a track has been influenced by a Greek instrument or melody--it's easy. In fairness, Greece has always been closer to Arabia than to any Western civilization. Since the days of Alexander the Great and the shores of Egypt have been home to far too many natives of that land. This is one of the reasons the Egyptian city of Alexandria has an exotic beauty.

Here's a musical piece from Greece by NiKos, it sounds like a soundtrack for a movie. He draws music inspired by nature, the sea, birds and the hills.

   موسيقى رائعة للموسيقار اليوناني نيكوس-beginning belalim

Remixing Sandy And Featuring Karl Wolf

I could not help but notice how populr one song from Sandy's latest ablum has become. The song is her duet with Karl Wolf, a guy who can rock and knows his way around a good party and the clubs that makes them possible. The Canadian R&B singer recorded the song in Dubai where they also filmed their song in some bosh club. Karl dropped few cool Arabic word in his lines and it was a sweet treat.

Sandy carried the song and held firm to her ground, she is a star that is never intimidated by the big names she works with. She has manged to become a a huge deal in Arab pop and has done a lot of things to appeal to new fans. She strikes me as someone who works hard and enjoys what she is doing. She sounds sweet in this song.

The song has already been remixed so many times, this is how you make a club song that has the potential to crossover into other cultures beyond language. Sandy is the kind of singer that non Arabic speakers would love to find out about. With a little help from Mr. Cool Karl Wolf she might just do that.

Sandy Ft. Karl Wolf - Awel Mara Atgara' - Remix

Reviewed: Putumayo's Arabic Beat Album

Putumayo means “gushing river”, and this World Music label with its motto “ guaranteed to make you feel good,” has just released Arabic Beat, a follow up to its best-selling Arabic Groove.

This river gushes with danceable tracks from artists rocking the popular Arabic/Western vibe that translates well to clubs in the West. (Many of the disc’s artists are based in Europe or the U.S.; such as Noor in Barcelona, Watcha Clan in Marseille, Zein Al-Jundi in Austin, Texas).

Arabic Beat features more of the upbeat Middle Eastern and North African dance music that made Arabic Groove a global success. Inspired by music from across the globe but true to Arabic music’s deep roots, Arabic Beat tells the story of a thriving contemporary scene that stretches across the breadth of the Mediterranean.

Algerian style rai alternates with raqs sharki beats, both taking on Western flavors via sprinklings of instrumental sounds becoming familiar to the melting pot of immigrant communities in Europe. Upbeat like all the feel good Putumayo releases, this disc does contain some thoughts relevant to recent goings on in the Arab world, (Marcel Khalife’s Osfour interpreted here by Watcha Clan, is one.)

 Altogether a good sampling of what might be to Westerners some lesser known names on the contemporary Arabic music scene. The album will be picked by those casual Arabic music listeners who want a musically snack, nothing too complex and nothing too different. If this is something you desire, then pick the album up and take it for a joy ride.

Samira Said - Aal Eih

Medhat Saleh For Religious Songs This Ramadan

Medhat Saleh is making the rounds promoting his new work on songs for Ramadan where he sounds like a pious preacher. Medhat is a singer who has a soft spot in his heart for all things religion. As an Egyptian, they feel obligated to do something nice for the faith. Most singers opt out to do religious themed songs.

Medhat brought back an old song (and littler known too) by Abdel Halim Hafiz who sang the original song for romance, then he switched it to sounds like his romance song, but this time it's about his yearning to go visit Al Medina and pray where the early days of Islam and prophet.

I found this song a delight and it does very similar--the same music of Ololo El Haqeeqah. Abdel Halim has recorded dozens of religious themed songs and prayers that are still popular with the masses. Salehhas re-recorded some of them too.

روحوا له المدينة - مدحت صالح

Al Massih, When DJ's Step In For Composers Role

Technology has killed many careers, I am beginning to think with computers, editing software and affects being so cheap now, composers might be on their way out. As more and more songs nowadays are assembled by DJ's who have become very good at arranging beats to making them look and sound fresh. DJ's do often come up with new music, using other old elements that already exist.


This is the kind of music, Arabs are now into House beats are everywhere and they seem to be accessible or cheap to get. Maybe it's that life is moving in a faster pace now. Whatever it's, one guy in Lebanon with the name Walid Al Massih has moved from DJ'ing into composing music, while most of his stuff goes to his songstress wife Maya Nehme, he does give his work to some up and coming singers. He also arranges music  and makes upbeat tracks for other household names.   

See his latest musical arrangements for the new single for Maya Nehme, a seasoned and an ward winning dancer and now pop singer. Such music is no different than what Americans call here Euro Trash, but this very trash is very well known around the globe. It does bring so much energy for the party loving young folks around the globe.

Aside from that, you will like the many looks and dance moves Maya brings out for her latest hit. She comes to the business with a professional career in dance choreography where she has a school and a degree in music.  So no surprise that her song has all the making of a modern day global pop hit--if it was not for the fact that she sings in Arabic, and not English.

Update: I was not talking down DJ's, I am just suggesting that more and more DJ's and music arrangers are filling in for traditional composers--dude with a oud or guitar. This might be a fact as we now get a lot more songs that we used to get 20 years ago.

Am Fakker - Maya Nehme / عم فكر - مايا نعمه