Customer Reviews

Fifty Gates Of Wisdom

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the *very* best of the Ofra Haza CDs ... many of the songs are in Hebrew, Arabic & Aramaic which makes this one of the most unusual and outstanding Middle Eastern CDs ever produced. Her voice is indeed beautiful, the voice combined with the complex meter and beat of the poetry written by Rabbi Shalom Shabbazi from the late 16th C. provides a rare and unusual glimpse into the past but with a contemporary sound. The melodies created by traditional and modern musical instruments: wooden & metal percussion, Yemenite tin and tambala, stringed instruments, flute, piccolo, oboe, English horn, bassoon, clarinet, French horn, and bass clarinet produce striking rhythms which captivate the listener. This CD is a mirror reflecting the beautiful music of the past within a modern framework ... it is an artistic masterpiece. How sad this musical legend is no longer with us but how very lucky we are she left us a legacy of her musical creations, so we never forget her ... Erika Borsos (erikab93)

This album is a must. It chronicles the more familiar works of the great Rabbi Shabazi that comprise a typical Yemenite Jewish diwan. And Ofra Haza has a voice that leaves all but a few of her peers in the dust.

The album opens with Im Nin'alu, a juggernaut that clears the way for the rest of the LP. The mix is solid and full and the sound completely infectious. The rest of the tracks are good but may have varying appeal depending on the mood you're in.

Galbi, an original (if memory serves me), became an international hit, spawning remixes (same for Im Nin'alu) for play in Eurodiscos. This also overcame obvious political barriers and found acceptance in some Arab markets.

Ofra is the daughter of Yemenite Jewish immigrants to Israel. Some have criticized her pronunciation of Arabic, but few can fall short of praising her vocals.

This work along with her Shirei Moledet series marked a much welcomed departure from her more pop sound. I highly recommend this album.

...oh and she's a very beautiful woman too.

I first bought this as a cassette tape in the 80s and wore it out. I was amazed at this woman's incredible voice and the beautiful songs that she sang. I now have this on cd and it still as impressive as ever. Ofra Haza's voice was like some kind of angelic instrument. I was stunned to hear of her death in 2000 and the realization that we'll have no more gems from this unique artist. At least, however, we have the cds she left behind and this one is one of the best.

Yemenite Songs is an inspired and successful effort to bring renewed life to the excellent traditional Yemenite folk music of Ofra Haza's ancestors. This album (CD) is much more than Ofra's humble characterization of it as being simply something different than the usual pop offering. These songs and lyrics date back hundreds of years, yet they are extremely accessible and enjoyable to both middle eastern and western musical ears.
Catchy ethnic rhythms and melodies come vividly to life in this well crafted, richly textured, artistic production.

There are no commercial compromises on this work. Extensive use is made of traditional folk instruments, including various percussion instruments. The arrangements offer as true a taste of this type of traditional Yemenite folk music as you are ever likely to hear. This music is from the Yemenite "Diwan," a book of traditional poety meant to be sung. The poems are written, but the music has been passed down orally from generation to generation. The original album was an unexpected hit and has remained one of Ofra Haza's best sellers.

Every song is satisfying from the first to the last. This CD differs from Ofra's "Shirey Moledet" series of three albums even though Shirey Moledet means folk songs of the homeland.
"Yemenite Songs" is exclusively from the Yemenite "Diwan" song book, and is exclusively and purely Yemenite traditional folk music. The Shirey Moledet series while incorporating traditional Yemenite elements, also has various other influences including non-Yemenite Arabic music, and many of the songs are somewhat more modern in sound. The first Shirey Moledet album (CD) is particularly excellent.

To hear the angelic voice of Ofra Haza singing the traditional Yemenite song book at the gates of Heaven, buy "Yemenite Songs." You will enjoy it over and over again as a timeless work of art.

I have never heard a voice quite like Ofra Haza's. She is one of the rare talents on this earth that can get you on the dance floor with a disco beat, or in tears when she sings a ballad. This album is wonderful because it shows Ofra's native abilities as a singer. She started out by singing Yemenite Folk Songs, and that is entirely what this album is - purely and simply - without any foreign influence.

"Fifty Gates of Wisdom" is Yemenite-Israeli Ofra Haza's masterpiece from 1987, melding ancient songs and rabbinical poetry with a dance beat hammered onto Yemenite drums that sound like pots and pans. It is an incomparable production that influenced the development of world-beat music and will stand proudly forever. I saw Ofra perform most of these songs live in 1990, and she exuded such joy, performing Yemenite dances around the stage as she sang. And she sang with such power, she could send a tremor down the back of the entire audience with the slightest trill. The standout track is "Im Nin'Alu" (a #1 hit in Europe), and my other favorites are Aleyet Chen, Ode Le'eli, Yachilvi Veyachali, and Ash'alech. Only "Galbi" fails to satisfy, sounding too much like a knock-off of "Im Nin'Alu". Unlike many of her later albums, she does not mix English in with her Hebrew, so unless you know Hebrew (or is there some Arabic or ancient Yemeni language here?), you won't understand a word. Believe me - it's no obstacle to a full appreciation of the music. There is another CD released more recently called "Yemenite Songs". It's the same CD with the songs in a different order - not sure what the point was there, but this is the original production. This is both a world-music classic and world-class music. It is the single most essential Ofra Haza recording.

This is a beautiful ode to Ofra Haza's Yemenite ancestry. She sings in the three languages of the Middle East-Aramaic, Hebrew, and Arabic. The only songs i know she sings in Arabic are Galbi, Yachilva Yachali (ya helwa ya hali), and Ayeselech (a'salk). With the exception of Yachilva Yachali, Ofra Haza confuses the dialects of Arabic that had surrounded her in life to make the lyrics nearly indiscernable, Yemenite, Palestinian, and evidently Egyptian (Egyptian movies are quite popular in Israel), but once you get through those tiny flaws the lyrics are lovely. The only reason i gave it four stars is i believe this songs would sound lovelier if devoid of synthesizers.

This wonderful album features traditional and modern instruments with songs based on the 16th century poetry of Shalom Shabazi. The opening number Im Nin'alu is a catchy mid tempo ballad and is followed by the buoyant Yachilvi Veyachali, a faster song with a complex arrangement.

Ofra's voice displays its impressive diversity on A'salk, a great interplay of mostly percussion and vocals. The medley of Tzur Menati, Se'i Yona and Sapri Tama has a catchy twirling melody and Galbi is another tuneful song with a compelling rhythmic structure. Ode Le'eli is a slow ballad with repeating patterns while Lefelach Harimon is my favorite with its sweeping melody line and hypnotic percussive textures.

Yemenite Songs is a pioneering album that successfully integrated traditional Middle Eastern songs with modern arrangements and pop appeal back in the middle 1980s. There is a moving spiritual undertone to many of the songs and Haza's voice is warm and engaging. If you like World Beat or the music of bands like Transglobal Underground, you will love this album.

I am always baffled that to see albums of singers such as Ofra Haza in the "used" bin. Who would want to let them go?

This album is a must have for anyone who likes or wants to be introduced to the incomparable voice of Ofra Haza. For my taste I prefer the simpler "folk tunes" and mercifully this recording came out before the loud dance club style completely overtook Ms. Haza's work, such as in "Desert Wind". I would like to hear all Ofra's work reissued with the backing turned down. I have no problem with a background beat as long as it stays in the background. Ofra Haza was one of those rare singers who did not need accompanyment, just her voice alone soaring high was all we needed.

In this lines I don't wanna say nothing about israeli/palestinian conflict. Simply I wanna say: Hey, men and women of Middle East! Ofra was a jewish woman, bred in Israel, between jews, but she never forgot her arabs roots, yemenites, and sang for arabs and jews with the same beauty and talent of always. Because all we have the same God, and because arabs and jewish are brothers peoples. With "Fifty Gates of Wisdom/Yemenite Songs" Ofra sing wonderfully in the best album of folk music of the Yemen, with lyrics in arabic, aramaic and hebrew. "Galbi Yahib Al Hawa" is far the best song, tribal and mystic like few songs. Soon, in my opinion, "Im Nin'Alu", "Ode L'eli" and "Tzur Menti - Sei Yona - Sapri Tama" follow in beauty.

A great album, wonderful. It's cannot lack in the collection of who loves the ethnic music.

Sorry by my poor english. I do it by Ofra, the Queen of Middle East.