Customer Reviews

Jewel of the Desert - Belly Dance Music

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
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Dr. Samy Farag really outdid himself once again with his latest recording entitled: "Jewel of the Desert".
This CD is the much-anticipated follow-up to the wildly popular: "Midnight Magic". It is an incredible collection of 11 fabulous songs that really captures the true essence of the best in Middle Eastern and Spanish fusion. I could not stop listening to it, from the moment that I put into my CD player! Unlike a lot of other Middle Eastern/belly dance music, on the market today, this CD will have you up and shimmying in no time and will not get tossed after you hear it a few times! The more I listened to it, the more I got drawn in and the more interesting it got. I immediately began choreographing when I first heard it and that does not happen often for me, only when the music is really great! The first track is the rhthmically driven: "Sahara" and it is perfect as a complete routine. The CD begins with a great kanoun intro, that teases the listener a little first before taking you on a musical journey that you never want to end. After the intro and an absolutely amazing fast paced rhythm that grabs your immediate attention the song melts in a tabla solo like no other. This CD is artistically creative, passionate, dramatic and original. All the routines are challenging, rhythmically complex, yet are easy to follow for dancers of all levels of expertise. It is so refreshing to hear belly dance music that is not contrived and sounds just like everything else. I would not have expected anything less from Dr. Samy Farag and Sphinx Records. The routines are perfectly arranged and the music is mixed beautifully. From beginners to the most seasoned professional belly dancer, there is something on the CD for everyone.

"Amira" is an exciting, original song that successfully blends together the very best of both modern and ancient sounds. You will find a wonderful version of the traditional Arabic favorite: "Mustafa" sung by the very talented female vocalists, Joanna Meshreky and Amber Asfour. At the end of the CD, there is an instrumental version of "Mustafa", that is also great. "Mustafa" brings special memories of my childhood back to me, because this was my father's favorite song! This CD covers all bases, musical tastes and leaves no stone unturned as it also features the timeless vocals of Olivia Ayala presented in both English and Spanish. All of the musicianship and orchestrations were fabulous, tight and smooth. The music flowed beautifully from start to finish and as it encompassed both Arabic and Spanish/flamenco flavors into a harmonious marriage. The mesmerizing Spanish/Flamenco guitar playing style of Marcelo Berestuo was captivating as thoughts of the Mediterranean gently come to mind. The expert use of the keyboard by Elton Ahi, Fred Mirza and Jose Carlos Fernandez was perfect and added to the rich and dynamic diversity of the songs. If you love great, strong and highly rhythmic percussion, as I do, then you will love the great artistry of Amir Sofi. His terrific tabla playing is paramount throughout this entire CD and at the end you are treated to one of the best drum solos that I ever heard. The nay-kawala was played masterfully by Bashir Abdel Al. "Jewel of the Desert" is a CD that will quickly become your favorite recording, the more you hear it, the more you will love it! The CD also features belly dancer Dondi, who looks beautiful as she graces the CD with her many photos. Some of the music was also used by the new Universal Pictures movie: "The Scorpion King". This is not the same old belly dance music, "Jewel of the Desert" aims to please and it delivers with a punch! It is very rare that a recording captures your every sense and makes you want to dance from the first moment that you hear it! I give this CD, five stars and five shimmies!

Happy listening and dancing!

I absolutley LOVE Sahara.I would someday like to coreograph this song. Gypsy Baladi is a nice song, if only they had used less electric keyboard and more guitar to make it more authentic! The only thing I really didnt like about the Cd was the lack of traditional instuments. Its got a techno flavor to it with the synthesizer and keyboard.