Customer Reviews

Cairo to Casablanca

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

If you're looking for a jumping off point from which to explore North African music, this is as good a place to start as any. The diverse collection that ranges from the catchy and folksy to traditional to disco-sounding. In a collection this eclectic, some will leave you cold, but just as many will suck you in and mesmerize you with their exotic melodies and harmonies. A useful sampler for someone unfamiliar to the music of the region.

I bought this title when looking for music to go with a Fantasy Roleplaying campaign set in ancient Arabia. The album was an instant hit, immediately bringing images to the mind of Ali Baba, Sinbad, and Arabian Nights while also sounding contemporary and accessible. The album was such a hit that it has been in rotation on my CD player for over two years! If you ever wanted a title to make you feel like you stepped into the modern-day version of the tales of Scheherazade, this is it!

A learned but staid selection of songs, only a few will pick you up and carry you away to what you can recognize is indeed another world from your own. Definitely a good purchase, though, if you are looking for an introduction to the vital and amazingly varied sounds of North Africa. A little less emphasis on those artists who are more accessible to western ears, on account of the incorporation of western musical styles and rhythms into their own music, may have made this compilation a bit more desirable; nevertheless, it is enjoyable for what it is, and definitely leaves you with wanting to hear what more North African music has to offer.

Putumayo has 3 excellent Mahgreb region/North African music anthologies, "Cairo to Casablanca", "Arabic Groove," and "Sahara Lounge." Although these feature Arabic societies, the music is not really Arabic, but rather reflects the eclectic mix of people, cultures and history of North Africa (languages from French to Berber come up in these three CDs). For instance listening to El Mediouni's "Ya Maallem, I'm struck by the similarity in rhythm, harmony, and melody to music of other Mediterranean cultures (and what a beautiful trumpet solo on this piece, obviously the piston trumpet not originally a product of North Africa!). Putumayo anthologies are thoughtfully constructed, the artists are all stars from their respective countries, and the songs are ordered to listen to from start to finish (like LP records used to be). World music fans, by definition, like variety, and "Cairo to Casablanca" is different. The haunting sound of North Africa melodies (I think the distinctive sound comes from harmonic minor scales based on the 5th note of the scale instead of the root)is at once exotic and soothing. Fix yourself and some friends up with a hookah, Moroccan mint tea, a couscous-tagine dinner, add this CD and say: "ssalamu'lekum!" (Peace be with you). lla yhennik !

My wife bought this album because she heard it played at a record store. I didn't like the album that much at first, although the different styles were intriguing. But over time the music won me over. The more I hear these songs the more I can detect musical styles that were influenced by and also influence musical styles in other parts of the world. The artists are technically excellent, and the emotions conveyed in the music are by turns exhilirating and heartbreaking, even if you can't understand a word. The liner notes were a help. Worth a try!

I was looking for a compliation of this exact geographic area and this CD hits the spot. Excellent combination - well done!

This album is one of the most popular in our home. The artists are famous in their own countries and the music is neither bland nor a sell out to western sensibilities. It still appeals to many taste because of its upbeat Rai influences and jazzy riffs.