Rough Guide Egypt

[coll]: ROUGH GUIDE TO EGYPT
World Music Network, 2003

A pretty good assortment of popular Egyptian music that does not neglect the unique sounds of Egypt’s Nubian/southern region. There are a few big contemporary pop hits, but they sound pretty weak when placed side by side with classic pop songs, traditional music, and new fusions. Poke around, there’s some good stuff here.

Fo’s Picks: 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13

1. 5:30 – uptempo pop, smooth as butter, fem voc & a little guitar
2. 4:33 – another uptempo dance-pop number with guitar thrown in
3. 5:33 – slinky spy-movie ballad, breathy fem voc. Exactly the sort of track hipster electronica producers would try to imitate today.
4. 7:58 – sweeping orchestral tribute to great singer Oum Kalthoum
5. 5:33 – uptempo Nubian: multi-layered drums, horns, raw vocal
6. 6:59 – Nubian melody & group vocal enters a new-age/triphop zone
7. 4:28 – syrupy pop: cheesy synths derail an otherwise pretty ballad
8. 3:41 – midtempo pop ballad, silky male voc & catchy riffs
9. 5:52 – old, muddy vocal recording and newer, perky orchestra
10. 4:17 – live recording, passionate fem voc and lively orchestra
11. 6:16 – ah, a man and his oud (plus a drum). Simple and beautiful.
12. 8:26 – relaxed, with cheesy ‘60s organ, like lounge or film music.
13. 4:58 – classic café song for film, sort of a pan-Mediterranean feel

[ Fo ] – 6/28/2004