Sahret Tarab (A Night Of Ecstacy)

Nancy Ajram / Sahret Tarab (An Evening of Ecstacy)
(New Sound, 2011) – ALL TRACKS FCC CLEAN
Reviewed by Abu Ramses

Nancy Ajram is the all-time 3rd best-selling female vocalist in Lebanon & an icon of early 21st century Arab pop. Her success is partly due to showing lots of skin in her videos, as most Lebanese female singers do. (For a tame idea see a video of track 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfnm3F2B_-Y) There’s a limit to how long plastic surgery can keep you looking young and sexy, so now she has to rely more on her voice. On this album – recorded from live performances – Nancy stakes a claim to being a serious artist by singing classics of the 1950s to 1970s. Several tracks have debka-style elements, a nod to her Lebanese roots. Nancy’s high & somewhat thin soprano voice doesn’t match the rich mezzo-soprano of “the lady” (Umm Kulsum), but she is worthy in her own right.

These are all classics and worth a play. My personal faves 1, 2, 6, 8, 10
Tracks
1. Mistaniyak (I'm waiting for you) – Has a natural break at 8:45 (applause) before a 2 ½ min. debka-style musical bridge if you don’t want to play a very long track – 16:06
2. Alf Layla wa-layla (Thousand & One Nights) – One of Umm Kulsum’s greatest; music by Baligh Hamdy; lyrics Mursi Gamal 'Aziz - 4:41
3. 'Al eih yis'aluni (They'll ask me what he said) – 2:50 upbeat musical intro; plaintive solo; chorus joins in @ 5:25 - 8:46
4. Lamma rah al-sabr minu (When patience left him) – Piano intro; Lebanese debka style chorus & percussion @ 1:15; originally sung by Sherifa Fadl – 4:03
5. Darat al-ayyam (The days turned) – 1 min musical intro is perhaps too much for a short track, though the kanun instrumental is nice - 3:00
6. Ya hubbi illi ghab (My love that is gone) Piano & nay intro – 2:37
7. Salam ‘alayha (Say hello to her)–Heavy piano accompaniment & male chorus -1:40
8. Habibi inta (You are my love) – Lots of audience participation, synthesizer & a male voice on this song written by Lebanese Milhem Barakat; too brief - 1:11
9. Law sa'aluk (If they asked you) – Slow ballad of lost love composed by Baligh Hamdi and originally sung by Warda al-Jaza’iriyya - 3:04
10. Haga ghariba (A strange thing) – A cover of the duet originally sung by ‘Abd al-Halim Hafiz and Shadia in their 1963 film “Ma‘budat al-Gamahir” (The Beloved Diva) -7:17
11. Ma 'andaksh fikra (You have no idea) – Debka-style musical intro to a number originally sung by Warda al-Jaza’iriyya - 7:40
12. Ya wad ya ta'il (Oh you cold man) – From the 1972 film “Watch Out for Zuzu” starring Su’ad Husni. Tahiyya Carioca (Zuzu’s mom) sings this coquettish tune - 5:52
13. Mushtaga lik (I miss you) – An Arab Gulf song by Ya‘qub al-Khizi; lyrics by Shaykh Sabah Nasir al-Sabah - 6:32
14. Tuba (Repentance) – A rousing melody with lots of clapping composed by Muhammad ‘Abd al-Wahhab. Ends suddenly without finishing – 4:33