Customer Reviews

Tab Leh

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really don't know what to say, but can't help saying something about this album, so I decided to click "Write Review" because this is really a great album. I got this album 2 days ago and already listened 10 times. The wonderful thing about this album is that there's no song that I have to skip. (generally most albums by any artists have at least 1-2 boring songs). this album has got lots of Oriental flavor and good Western spice. (just the way I like). the title song "Tab Leh"
really is unique. it stuck to my brain by just listening once, so I can't stop to play this Album, and everytime I play, I like other songs more and more also. I'm very beginner in Arab music. All I have are Amr Diab and Hakim.(I have lots of Persian's though). Including Persian music I have, I have not remembered so many good slow songs in Oriental music. But finally I found some in "Tab Leh". I am not big fan of slow songs. unless they are really good, I don't get into. I like the 2 nd one particularly (Yerkhas El Ghali). it's beautiful. I've seen Ragheb's music video 3 years ago on TV, and I was not impressed at all, so I had been just ignoring him, but I was so glad that I changed mind and decided to buy his latest album. I feel that I did a right thing. I think I'll be still listening to this album 6 months later. Even a beginner like me can get into this, so I believe everybody can like this album.

This doesn't need many words: it is just excellent in all meanings!! It's a pity the awful transliteration of the songs' names (many of them clearly wrong, for examble "Ahebik" instead of "Ahibak" = Be in love) and the worst is that songs 7 ("Korbak nar") and 8 ("Layelina el kadim") are switched in order at the backlet, just by listening the songs you'll realise of this, what a lack of care! For the rest, you can see why Ragheb has been the king of Lebanese pop for more than 10 years...

Ragheb Alama's Tab Leh is the best Arabian pop album the singer has made and the best to debut in the new year. The title song which is the first track on the CD is quite possibly the best Arabic pop fusion since Khaled's "Didi" almost a decade ago. Its immaculate production, that perfect blend of Middle Eastern percussion (Ragheb's signature debka rhythm), rock, and funk make for an irresistible song perfect for radio as well as the dancefloor. The other major highlight of the CD is "Laialena El Kadema", a techno-infused Middle Eastern stormer with hints of Bollywood and a Lebanese orchestra thrown in for good measure! Together with "Tab Leih", the CD is worth the price of just these two songs! But wait, that's only the start cause the hits just keep on rolling...other strong songs include "Sed El Ghalyeen", with its catchy hook complete with Oriental trumpets; "Ala Kafak," a smoky downtempo percussive number; "Korbak Nar" another beautiful Arabic-pop fusion reminiscent of fellow Arabic popstar Amr Diab's "Kan Tayeb" from last year (in fact, they share the same producer, the brilliant Alam El Phan, arguably the BEST music producer in the Middle East). In a similar vein are two other tracks: "Mabakash" and "La Tekoly Lah," again flawless songs. For lovers of Pan-Mediterranean fusion, there is "Agmal Amira" which can be best described as an Arabic paso doble track! All in all, a great CD showcasing Ragheb Alama's maturity as a megastar in the world of Arabian Pop, with that perfect blend of Arabian rhythms and percussion, and Western pop-rock sensibilities, sure to please both his longtime fans and newer world music audiences.

Tab Leh is Ragheb Alama's best album to date. The title track, also the opening song, is quite possibly the best Arabic pop song since Khaled's "Didi," almost ten years ago. It is the perfect combination of Middle Eastern percussion (Ragheb's signature debka rhythm), rock, and funk that are equally pleasing to the ear as they are to the feet. This song sounds just as great on radio as on the dancefloor. The other standout on the CD is "Laialena El Kadema," a techno-infused foot-stomper with hints of Bollywood and Lebanese strings to boot! Together with the title track, these two songs are already worth the price of the CD. But wait, the hits just keep on rolling..."Sed El Ghalyeen," and "Ala Kafak" are two other great songs: the former with Oriental trumpets and the latter with its seductive downtempo percussion. "Korbak Nar" starts with a breezy Mediterranean intro before kicking in with more of that upbeat debka rhythm, similar to fellow Arabic popstar Amr Diab's "Kan Tayeb," a hit from last year (in fact the two share the same producer, Alam El Phan, THE musical producer in the Middle East). "Agmak Amira" also shares some of that Mediterranean flava, resulting in what can best be described as an Arabic paso doble! Two other great uptempo tracks, "Mabakash" and "La Tekolylah" round up this outstanding collection from this Lebanese superstar that is sure to please his legions of fans, from Sham El Sheik to Sao Paulo, and all around the globe.

This is such a great cd. I have had many people listen to it while riding in my car & they give very positive feedback.

The other reviewers have said the needed. I simply wanted to agree with them. Ragheb Alama is absolutely fantastic on this CD. And yes - all the songs are worth hearing again and again! Most of the music is very upbeat, so I use it when I work out. I can't wait for Ragheb to come out with another CD! I do wish there was some way to get a translation of the Arabic into English. (I bought Amr Diab's latest CD and was disappointed.)

I've had Tab Leh for quite a while now, and it's still an album I listen to weekly. I absolutely love it! It isn't classic belly dance music (it leans more toward shabbi, IMHO), but I find it very belly-danceable. Several of the songs aren't saidi or baladi in their rhythm, but many are, and I've been practicing the zils to several of the songs. I've also developed a basic choreography for "Mabakash" for a beginner's dance class I'll be teaching this summer. "Mabakash" is my bar-none favorite of the bunch -- it sounds a bit Spanish to me, with the guitar and the hot-and-passionate instrumentals -- but there isn't a boring song in the lot. Definitely an investment!

I like this album, and while it is very dance-able, it is more pop/club dance than for belly dance which is what I was looking for. Perhaps it would be good for alternative belly dance, but was a little pop for most belly needs. Still, it's a good album to listen to, and great for parties.