Customer Reviews

Kirya

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Kirya, Ofra Haza's 1992 release, is a more sombre affair after the danceable Desert Wind. It's more thematic of Israel itself, its past history and current legacy as a Middle Eastern warzone.

Her soaring vocals are still in effect in the Hebrew-sung title track. As she explains in a note before the lyrics, Kirya is an ancient Hebrew nickname for Jerusalem. It's a song praising Jerusalem as incomparable in beauty, but a city where so many of Israel's sons die everyday because of her, something that continues still today.

"Horashoot (The Bridge)" implies crossing the bridge together, in a relationship like marriage, for a better tomorrow. This song is in reference to the Middle East situation, where neither side wants to cross that bridge, yet Ofra believes that "we can cross the bridge together/to cross the bridge forever." The musical tone is purely Middle Eastern, except she uses synthesizers instead of the darbouka which made Shaday such an exotic album.

"Innocent" is a hymn to the refugees torn apart by war, bereft of hope, and in the case of children, bereft of parents. The chorus sung in Hebrew and puts Ofra's vocals to great effect: "Oh my god, I want to be wherever you are." It ends with a chorus of backing vocalists going "Na na na na na na. etc."

The bleakest but best song on Kirya is "Trains Of No Return". This song is a reference to the trains carrying Jews to their destinations in Auschwitz, Dachau, and Buchenwald. She sings of the trains "Don't let them roll again" and "we need the rain...to wash the trains." This is song half in English. The elegiac violin adds to the song's desolateness in a way Itzhak Perlman's violin would do in Schindler's List.

Another half-English song, "Mystery Fate and Love" has a mystical ambience about it, as she asks her god to "give me a hand to hold on to."

Set in "ancient time", presumably Old Testament days, "Daw Da Hiya" is a young, beautiful, and passionate girl who violated the taboos of her time by taking a man without her father's permission, becoming pregnant out of wedlock, shamed her family, and ending up condemned to death. Iggy Pop does the English vocal narration while Ofra sings in Hebrew. It calls for progress in women's rights, as Iggy narrates: "In a time and place, where a woman can't show her face, her life is ruled by men. That shouldn't happen again." With the guitar, the music has a tinge of Spanish as well as Hebrew.

"Don't Forsake Me" is a plea against abandonment in old age but also the realization of mortality. She sings "Don't cast me away when I start to fade, when my mind's unmade. At one point, the synthesizers have that Middle Eastern sound that made "Im Nin Alu" a hit. Mostly English lyrics.

"Barefoot" is a slow samba-kind of number with Spanish guitar sung totally in Hebrew. "Take 7/8" is a Middle-Eastern flavoured dance song that figured in celebrations and wedding parties. The sax and ut, a bagpipe/violin like instrument figure here. When peace finally comes, let's all dance to this.

Ofra's voice is still robust and lovely. Kirya had no hint of the drastic change that would come with what would be her last album. Yet compared to Shaday and Desert Wind, it's definitely bleaker, despite having upbeat numbers. That may be because it came on the heels of the intifadeh of the late 80's/early 90's.

So the next time Israelis wonder why there should be peace, maybe they should remind themselves by the title track.

Ofra Haza's voice is simply moving. The music style may be dance/techno or traditional or a mix of both, but this Middle Eastern queen of pop actually transcended labels like "Queen of Pop" because her gift was a truly beautiful, soaring voice which absolutely overwhelms the listener everytime (s)he listens to it. I remember first hearing Ofra Haza on a compilation CD, and her voice was unique, unusual, and touching. Anytime thereafter, when I would hear one of her songs (rarely radio material, but I have heard remixes of "Galbi" (which is not on this album) on college radio a few times)it was immediately apparent to whom that glorious voice belonged. And if she was underappreciated in her lifetime (apparently this is more the case in the U.S.) certainly curious music lovers (particular those with an affinity for gorgeous vocals) can do her memory honour by listening to her music now. Kirya marries traditional Middle Eastern aspects of music to dance music elements... and above all, Haza's voice overshadowed it all in an enchanting web. Very worthwhile.

A couple of weeks ago I heard that Ofra Haza passed away. I was shocked. I went through my CD collection and started listening to her music again. I have to say that she is, and will always be incredible. It's a shame that the world didn't appreciate her as much as she deserved. Dim the lights and put 'Mystery Faith and Love' on and be taken to another dimension. Ofra's voice moves you as much as Aretha's does. I would definitely recommend this CD and any other Ofra Haza CD.

Those of you who aren't familiar with Ofra Haza, I encourage you to please listen to this beautiful woman's albums. "Kirya" is definitely a wonderful example of the legacy Haza left, when she passed away in 2000. Although some call her the "Madonna of the Middle East," in my opinion I think she is far more talented, prolific and outstanding. For starters, Ofra Haza was devoutly religious, as a Yemenite Jew, from Israel, had a clean sound, put ancient poetry to music, and used her voice as an instrument for peace and liberation. That is where she and Madonna vear off quite differently from one another.

"Kirya" presents a beautiful cross-section of songs and experiences. We hear her sing in English, Arameic and Hebrew. The songs are about sadness, mortality and love. Some great, outstanding examples on this album include: "Trains of No Return" (about the effects of the Holocaust and the trains heading to Auschwitz and Dachau, amongst many other concentration camps, where Jews were systematically executed), "Daw da Hiya," (about the consequences of a young woman's premarital affair with her lover), and "Don't Forsake Me" (about old age).

This is a treasure of an album. Buy it today.....Let the legacy of Ofra Haza remain for many, many years to come. What an inspirational and beautiful woman.......

First of all; I believe that Ofra Haza had one of the most beautiful voices of our time; and it just goes to show you what the voice of liberty sounds like unrestrained free of the theocratic government of Yemen, (the land of her ancestors.) Just to correct Daniel (the previous reviewer,) like many of Ofra's later albums, some of these songs are sung in English, Hebrew and Arabic, like Innocent. Ofra sings Daw Da Hiya in Arabic, and her lyrics are actually based on a Yemeni folk song that is known throughout Yemen to Arabs and Jews alike, and really have nothing to do with the subject of imprisonment of love, and Iggy Pop accompanies her in English. In her latter albums Ofra tended to give props to her Yemenite roots by including Arabic lyrics to her songs, like Inta, I Want To Fly, D'ale D'ale, Taw Shi, (from Desert Wind and Shaday, -'Inta' actually means 'you' in Arabic). She also endeavored to sing songs in Arabic completely in Fifty Gates of Wisdom, the three songs sung exclusively in Arabic are 'Galbi,' 'A'salk,' and 'Yachilva Yachali.' She was never ashamed of her Arab (Yemenite) Jewish heritage and became the siren voice of Yemenite women everywhere, and some cases Yemenite men, (like moi).

This is a wonderful work, because this great israeli singer sing in three languages of that zone of the world (hebrew, arabic and aramaic) with fabulous ryhtms of the jew and arab cultures. Any songs are half english, half semitic language.

I prefer the sounds ethnic, and the song Daw Da Hiya (english and judeo arabic), with the narration of Iggy Pop, is really stirring. This song reflects the sad life of many women in those countries. Also I like Mystery, Fate and Love, because is a magnetic song in english, like Barefoot, with that sensual rythm with lyrics in hebrew (she repeat constantly the arabic word "albi", "my heart"). And obvius, Trains of No Return, with a message of peace and alive, in memory of the jews died in the Holocaust.

Ofra Haza was a goddes of the world music. Only I had wanted that she sang more songs in spanish, because she had a magnificent voice.

Shalom Ofra.

After the more upbeat/pop/dance world music albums Shaday and Desert Wind, I was floored and immediately delighted when I bought this CD in the early 90's. At the time I had no other reference to Ofra other than the two prior albums (Ofra is so much more complex than just these U.S. releases). This album has a much slower groove that mixes traditional Middle Eastern music with a jazzy, soul, R&B feel. This album also contains some of the most amazing rhythms ever. To this day "Mystery, Faith And Love" is one of my favorite songs. And Ofra singing of the concentration camps in "Trains Of No Return" is very moving. "Daw Da Hiya" is a surprisingly good duet with Lou Reed lending spoken vocals to a song about a young woman scorned by her family because of her love for a man. This is one of my all time favorite albums and something I turn to anytime I need to settle down and relax and take a few minutes out of a crazy life to breathe. It never grows old and it always elevates my mood.

Kirya is a profound musical synthesis and distillation of Middle Eastern themes. It weaves together not only lyrics in several languages, Hebrew, Arabic, and English, but also weaves together the disparate cultural elements between Arabs and Jews.

The musical result on "Kirya" is nothing short of brilliant. The name "Kirya" is perfect for this CD because "Kirya" means Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is where the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths live. The lyrics and music here confront the strife and clash of cultures head on, and although it is a tough, and many times bleak road, there is a ray of hope for a better future. The song "Innocent" bemoans the fate of war refugees in general, particularly the innocent children. "Mystery, Fate and Love" is a mystical, and spiritual masterpiece. "Barefoot" is a pleasing samba like number where Ofra's trance like voice sets an intriguing mood. The CD ends on a happy note with the faster and upbeat "Take 7/8," a wedding dance that used to be performed only by women but today all together. All the songs are excellent, and they do entertain and intrigue despite the predominantly somber mood, especially in the lyrics. The production and instrumentation are superior, and Ofra's voice is beyond comparison with any other popular female vocalist. This CD is an important landmark in music. Five stars all the the way.

This is oh so close to being another 5-star album by Ofra Haza (it would have been her third as rated by me), but I am holding back (call it 4 ½), because I just don't love it the way I do the nouveau traditional world-beat masterpiece of "Fifty Gates of Wisdom" (also released as "Yemenite Songs"), and the boundary-bending pop perfection of "Desert Wind". It is much darker in mood and less easily accessible than those generally uplifting earlier albums, and features much more of the kind of "wordless" singing that she introduced on Desert Wind's "Slave Dream", especially in "Kirya", "Daw Da Hiya", "Barefoot", and "7/8". It is nonetheless superb, with the highest production values of any of Ofra's albums, a consistent sound that is somewhat more resonant than earlier efforts (like the bells at the beginning of "Innocent") and some of the most haunting music she has ever created. Once again, she mixes Hebrew with English, so on most songs you can tell what's going on. Best are "Horashoot", the beautiful, mournful "Trains of No Return" (concerning the holocaust) and "Daw Da Hiya", featuring a man narrating the cruel fate of a young woman who seeks love unapproved by her father in a traditional society in which women are treated as property. (The thumping beat underscoring Ofra's cries at the end of "Daw Da Hiya" is the most exciting music on the album.) But there are other songs that fall into the "I'm not sure how much I like this" category. "Kirya", "Mystery Faith and Love", "Barefoot" and "7/8" are certainly good, even stunningly good, but I haven't learned to love them yet. There is also the problem of diminishing returns on high expectations. This is a lady who has hit the highest heights musically, and while in certain respects I hear her art peaking on this album, I nevertheless feel that I've heard her do it before. In any event, Ofra Haza's voice was a gift to her from God, and to us from her, so for an Ofra fan, it is unthinkable not to own this excellent CD.

There can be no other like Ofra Haza! She has a voice of an angel. She definitely earned her title as "the Madonna of the desert". Although she's much better, light years ahead. Actually, she's so far ahead of Madonna she's behind her.

Kirya is her best effort. Horashoot is "THE" song on the album. It's fun and funky and totally infectious. It's impossible to not love this song. I dare you not to like it. The same goes for Daw da Hiya. This song is about a woman who falls in love and gets pregnant by someone she's not married to. Needless to say her family dissaproves. Iggy Pop helps Ofra tell this sad story.

There are a couple of ballads on the album, most notably, Innocent and Don't Forsake Me. Nobody does a ballad like Ofra. She can do amazing things with her voice. I highly recommend this to everyone who like a powerhouse singer doing catchy danceable songs.

Rest in peace Princess