Customer Reviews

From Nubia to Cairo

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

 

 

Nubian is spoken along the banks of the Nile from Aswan in Egypt down into the Sudan to where the river makes the big bend, but these days Nubian people live in all the big cities of Egypt and Sudan. As a member of the Nilo-Saharan macro-family, it is entirely unrelated to the Arabic spoken by the majority of people of these two countries and has a cultural history going back to the christian Nubian kingdoms of the middle ages. This brings us to this delightful CD on which Kuban, the most popular Nubian singing star, sings in both Arabic and his mother tongue. My favourite track is Sukkar Sukkar Sukkar with its infectious foot-tapping beat, whilst Nouba, (sung entirely in Nubian)is a lovely song about the Nubian homeland along the banks of the Nile. The CD includes a booklet with background info on Kuban and the lyrics to all the songs. I love his music, it's got a very unique flavour not quite the same as most Egyptian or middle eastern music. Happy, uplifting and inspiring.

I got this CD just because, I did not really expect to like it but something drew me to it. I was not dissappointed. The CD is a lot of fun, Hassan's music is full of life. It gives you a taste of Egypt in the comfort of your own home. I would definitely get this if you are looking for something that is different and upbeat. PS. It can even make for some REALLY different and yet fun dance music :)

From Nubia to Cairo is one of my favorite CD's. The opening track "Sugar Sugar Sugar" is guaranteed to lift your mood and make you smile. This is the music of celebration! It is music for weddings, dancing, and happiness.

The Nubian language is spoken along the banks of the Nile from Aswan in Egypt south into Sudan down to where the river makes the big bend, but these days Nubian people live in all the big cities of Egypt and Sudan. As a member of the Nilo-Saharan macro-family, the language is entirely unrelated to the Arabic spoken by the majority of people of these two countries and has a cultural history going back to the Christian Nubian kingdoms of the Middle Ages. This brings us to this delightful CD on which Kuban, the most popular Nubian singing star, sings in both Arabic and his mother tongue. My favourite track is Sukkar Sukkar Sukkar with its infectious foot-tapping beat, whilst Nouba, (sung entirely in Nubian)is a lovely song about the Nubian homeland along the banks of the Nile. The CD includes a booklet with background info on Kuban and the lyrics to all the songs. I love his music, it's got a very unique flavour not quite the same as Egyptian or Middle Eastern music. Happy, uplifting and inspiring.

From Nubia to Cairo was exactly the kind of music I needed to help pull me out of a deep rut of paralyzing apathy. It's an upbeat escape to a far away land. The fact that I have no idea what Kuban is saying (apart from the titles, as I don't have liner notes) only adds to this wonderful feeling of being anywhere but here. I can instead be in a happy place, full of life. These melodies are infectious--you'll have them stuck in your head in no time. I very highly recommend this album.

What an awakening - thought we'd seen & heard it all, that is until we came by this CD. Our meagre collection of Egyptian and Sudanese music was mostly limited to the popular singers, and we thought to add some more traditional sound to the shelf. This CD was just the ticket! Kuban is the voice of Nubia. The music is bewitching. Our favorite: track 2, a sweet hypnotic love song to "the beautiful brown one" (a woman named Om-Sara, "mother of Sara"). Track 5 - MABRUK ("Congratulations") is a great wedding song in praise of a handsome couple, somewhat more oriental in melody and with the addition of fine trumpet playing.
Although not meant as dance music, the beat is out there and gets the feet tapping. The upper-Nile liking for the accordion adds brightness to the accompaniment of hand-played drums and small percussives. If you want to get to the roots of true Egyptian music, this CD is a good place to start. Listen intently! Enjoy!