Customer Reviews

Yalla: Hit List Egypt

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yalla - a synthesis of music of the modern generation with that of traditional folk music - shows how a young generation can devise its own "danceable" music, while retaining recognizable links with the past. This is the music you might hear while walking in downtown Cairo, or visiting a local disco. Yet it contains haunting memories of the Egypt of antiquity.

Combine this CD with the CD "Music of the Nile" and you will have an excellent overview of the music ranging from metropolitan to rural Egypt.

A friend gave Yalla to me a few years ago. He heard it in a little combo exotic food/CD store, and bought it immediately. I in turn was on my feet within seconds of putting it on. Someone on epinions said it was just for belly dancers. So untrue! But perhaps that reaction came because you move differently to this hybrid though very Eastern recording than you do to straight Western rock (which I'm more familiar with - and these days, in 2002, so much of music is hybrid anyway). It's much more unpredictable,faster (sometimes frenetic - I usually tire out before the end,as I did a couple of minutes ago, prompting me to sit down and write a review!), sexier. This is one of my all-time favorite recordings, and it belongs on a multi-CD player at a great party. Or, with equal enjoyment, "in the privacy of your home."

"Yalla!" = "Let's go!" -- The title implies that this is just another compilation of current Arab-world hits. Well, it used to be. But this album was done in 1990 and much has changed in the world of pop since then. However, even in 1990, this album is really much more than a simple compilation. It's a bit of an education, too. I would have bought it for the liner notes alone. Sure, you like this music, but do you REALLY KNOW what "Jeel" music is? What "Shaabi" music is? It's all explained here and there are little (very little) descriptions of each of the singers. As far as the music is concerned, it's divided into two groups, as Richard Gehr describes in his "Editorial Review" at the top of this list of reviews here on Amazon. I have a bit of a problem with the music in that it is all ten (or more) years old and the quality of Arab pop music production both jeel and shaabi (and Sudanese, too -- there's one cut of Sudanese pop) has greatly improved since then (I'm writing this in 2001). So, frankly, compared to what you hear on the great "Camelspotting" compilation (don't miss that one!!) and in current releases like the spectacular "Tamally Maak" album from Amr Diab (or the latest from Abdel Gadir Selim in Sudan), the 'quality' of this music sounds somewhat teeny bopperish by comparison. Not 'bad' -- just 'not as great.' Still I'm glad I bought it. By the way: the late '80s also seem to have been a period of very heavy westernization of Arab music. The characteristic 5-note scale of Arab music is completely absent from many (not all) of these cuts: Nearly every song is heavily influenced by the Western tonal model. Today's pop sounds significantly more Arab than most of these cuts.

I love this CD. I got it in a discount 3 for $5 bin in Dearborn, MI in 2001 or so at the largest Arab street fest in the US. Clearly, that says it was out of date at the time--but it's still an interesting cultural tour, and I agree with the other reviewer that the liner notes and historical tour of the musical styles (and some of today's still-most-popular singers like Amr Diab) alone are worth the price (as well as tracks #1 and #6 (one Jil, one Shaabi) . Note: this is popular music, not bellydancing (at least, not professional bellydancing) music.

Wow, 5 years later I actually come to find this CD is available on Amazon??:)) I got it from one of my best friends from college who's Egyptian. He played it once and as soon as I heard the first song, I was obsessed with it so I asked to borrow the whole thing - and kept it for 5 years. It's funny to see it online after I just returned it to him last week - Aug'06. I love it and am so obsessed with being able to sing the lyrics along that I started studying Arabic - and I'm Bulgarian! Talk about inspiration:) The CD is super old but I recommend it to everybody - and definitely check out the latest from Amr Diab! He's a huge megastar of Arabic pop!

I love,love,love this CD. I especially like
Amr Diab's song "Ei Yaani". I'm an Amr Diab fan.
I highly recomend this CD for anyone who likes Arabic music.

I went to great lengths to track down this CD, on recommendations of one of my friends who actually is from Egypt, and let me tell you, it was well worth the time and effort I spent to find it. This CD is an excellent introduction to modern Egyptian pop music, namely Al-Jeel and Shaabi music. The CD is divided into two sections, one dedicated to Al-Jeel, which is a sort of techno-pop style, originating in the '80s, and melding Bedouin, Nubian, Lybian and Egyptian styles into something new, yet uniquely Egyptian. As an admited fan of Al-Jeel music, I was very pleased with the selections, which includes such greats as Amr Diab, Hanan, Ehab and Khedr, though I would have also included Hamid Shaeri, but oh well. C'est la vie. The second set is dedicated to Shaabi, which is the modernized music of the working class people of the cities, often with controversial lyrics. Again, the selections are excellent.
Both the Al-Jeel and Shaabi selection are broken down into six selections each, so you get pretty good exposure to both. A word of caution though. As one reviewer commented, most of the songs on here are a bit dated. They are still excellent choices, mind you, but there are so many new releases, and new names, that this CD couldn't possibly reveal everything about Egyptian pop. Still, considering how hard it is to get a hold of Egyptian pop music in the United States, this might still be your best introduction. And if your already a fan, why not. Its still an excellent compilation.

I bought Yalla, Hitlist Egypt on impulse, simply because I liked the cover photo. This CD is now one of my Desert Island Discs. The dance tracks cleverly combine Arabic rythms with a western dance sound, so you move your feet and your hips! The Nubian tracks -- I'd never heard any music like it before, and finally the Shaabi, boy, I wish I could understand the words, 'cause the singers really emote -- whatever they talking about, it must be pretty important.

Get this CD -- If you're like me, you'll listen to it for years.

Current faves: Amr Diab > what a voice!

Hannan > If she doesn't make you feel happy, nothing will.

Elli Shatr Enhaa Tgannen > I think 'Tgannen' means "you make me crazy" It's a duet.