Rest In Pease Salah Abdel Ghafour, Iraqi Legendary Singer And Intellectual

He sang in Arabic and Kurdish, this way he is very Iraqi. Not too many Iraqi singers have this kind of appeal, not only does both Arabic and Kurd love this talented and popular iconic singer, they have come to enjoy his singing in any language without regard to politics. His last album was recorded three years ago, and he has a number of unreleased tracks he has been working on. On his final days he spoke about the toxic mode in Arabia and the many tragedies that make it very hard to release new music.

Salah Abdel Ghafour is the folkloric Iraqi voice that gave Iraq one of its most hit songs that have come to define Iraqi music for decades, "Shlonak" This song of his is one of half a dozen songs the entire Iraqi nation knows like they know the back of their hands. He passed away in a tragic car accident in the Kurdish city of Erbil. One thing you need about him, even the Americans and other nationals have come to appreciate his music and his songs. Shlonak was later released in Turkey by a pop-folk singer ibrahim tatlises.

He has released 30 albums, he excelled in doing Iraqi styled songs as well as Folkloric dance songs. His first singing gig was when he was eight years old on the Iraqi TV and radio corporation he chose to perform songs of the mega Iraqi legend Nithem Al Ghazaly in 1961 "Rokin El Howa" Amateur Corner.

In 1973 he would join the national theater group and make his own path. In 1977 he want back to school to study music and composition where he learned to play the violin. He stayed in the music institute for six years perfecting his talent. He would become on of Iraq's finest voices for generations and would inspire droves of young Iraqis to make better music. He was the go to guy of Iraqi Maqam music 

To me, he was one of those artists who refused to objectify women and he spoke about it for a long time--he was very critical of sexualized music videos by many half baked Iraqi talents (for more about his opinions read here). He also released many sport songs for the national teams, and has sang for Palestine. A singer, an intellectual and patriot passes away in an accident, what's not an accident is his talent.


Shlonak - Salah Abdel Ghafour


صلاح عبد الغفور حلوة يالبغدادية.

Iraqi Folklore (فولكلور عراقي ) Gets Serious With Shatha Hassoun

We always seek advise from older people, thus making assumptions that they must know better. It makes us feel better when recount our trouble to someone who at least looks wiser. Many folklore songs do just that, a singer tells what's troubling him to a mother, an uncle, a grandpa, but almost never a father notice.

Checkout Shatha Hassoun a young women from Iraq/Morocco performs an old Iraqi song in one of his concerts. Her vocals are the only thing that matter, but also her stage presence is the one most people would not miss. She sounds very mature as this sobering song requires a certain level of zen and calm to do it justice.

I love those intimate concert formats, but the number of the backup singers tells me this is a serious performance. I love the live orchestra with men wearing their traditional dresses. There' no playback and lip syncing here.
Shatha Hassoun فولكلور عراقي - شذى حسون - ياعمه

The Amazing Native Indian Music

Not sure what region this music comes form, but I have known it to be from the South American nation of Peru. It's very common to hear them live in big cities selling their records while putting on a great show for the bystanders. But something tell me, this guy on the video is from North American Indians, not the southern nations.

The dresses and the face paint patterns tell me, they are from around the States or Canada, before it was the States as we know it. Regardless of the place, this kind of music has managed to captivate minds and hearts around the world. These guys do wonders with the flute, a very basic music instrument that makes me think of the mountains, waterfalls and eagles. .
 موسيقى خياليه ( هنود الحمر) Indian Music

Akram Al Rahal Left Iraq To Promote Its Music

All Iraqi pop stars have the same look...dark shirts, open chests, fancy eye shades and greasy hair. But when they sing, each has his/her own style. They do wonders singing the blues, just checkout Akram Al Rahal, an Iraqi import who lives and performs in Syria and in any place where Iraqi music fans live..

I must admit it's very hard to find info on many of those young Iraqi singers, they do not seem to focus on building their online brands. I try in Arabic/English and little comes. Akram is a Baghdad native who attended a local Iraqi music institute. But he also played soccer in a local club. But in 1999 he left for Jordan. His first TV appearance on in 1993.

Akram works with local Iraqi poets who give him some of their best work, which he turns into pop songs.

 Akram Al Rahal - Rouh Nam / اكرم الرحال - روح نام

Country Music Super Star #Egypt Hegazy Met'al Delivers Much Need Wisdom

Country music is about so many things but in its essence its about celebrating home, friends, the food and the landscape of the motherland. That means you do not have to try too hard to impress folks, you need not to change your speech patterns, you only need to speak common words like you would talk to your grandfather. If you come across as an uneducated, then be it.

One of the voices of this art form is Hegazy Met'al, the guy who has the word country spelled all over his body, he wears country and rides horses. And his music is all about simplicity. And now he has a reconciliation song out there. About being the bigger man and asking for starting over. Not sure if the time is about Egypt's political difference of the moment, but it feels like more of those decision makers need to borrow Hegazy Met'al's tone and approach to conflict resolution.

I love the simplistic music, the artist has his fans, they are the ones who have built Egypt and did not care to stick around, instead they went home once the job was done. And those well-dressed and over-educated bunch came in and took credit for it.

Hegazy Met'al - Mategy Ya Sa7by / حجازي متقال - ماتيجى ياصاحبى نتصالح


اغنية حجازى متقال متيجي يا صحبى نتصالح من شعبى استايل

A Touching Song In The Syriac Tradition ترتيلة سريانية - فرقة جسور & إيناس لطوف

Joussour is not your typical band, it's a throwback band to the ancient history of the Middle East region. The band is made-up of musicians from different cultural background. Which makes it a lot easier for them to turn out a diverse mix of music from Mesopotamia and the Levant including folkloric, contemporary, instrumental and vocal pieces, and the various types and stages of oriental songs in general.

The Band employs a style reflects the rich cultural tapestry of the region's varying cultures and traditions. This is done using a new creative musical language which reflects their capabilities as musicians to perform various types and styles of music, and expresses at the same time their renewed faith in their heritage and the importance of its interaction with contemporary musical genres.

The Band's namesake 'joussour' illustrates that, the word itself means 'bridges' in Arabic, more like a time-machine I would call them. The band weave together different cultural background, which comes with a unique musical style deeply rooted in history. The band started in 2007, and is led by Syrian musician Salah Ammo. Since its establishment, the group has performed several concerts, inside and outside of Syria, and is today considered one of the most important groups in Syria, due to its representation of the songs and cultures of the region. The band has yet to reach out to Europe, even though their music is the exact kind that has the across culture appeal.

So, if you think Arabic or Islamic music is too modern for you, you can go back in history and enjoy this the Orthodox Syriac tradition, a song about the divinity of God. This song is about breaking bread together.


Joussour Group & Inas Latouf ترتيلة سريانية - فرقة جسور & إيناس لطوف


the Orthodox Syriac tradition. It was written by Mar Yakoub al-Sarouji, and is performed either improvised or according to an ancient musical arrangement, as it appears in this recording. The topic of the song is peace, love and the divinity of God. Musicians: Salah Ammo: bouzouq Milad Bahi: oud and arrangement Imad Morci: cello Bassem Al Jaber: contrabass Firas Hassan: percussion Dima Mawazini: qanoun Mohamad Fityan: nay & kawlah Walid Khataba: violin Wessam Al Chaaer: accordion

The Big Star Of Nova Emad, And The Small Sky

Nova Emad should be so proud, she has done something for all a long time we all have been longing for. The classical Iraqi song with the right touches of Jazz. I thought only Palestinian and Lebanese vocalists were doing this style, but Nova showed me, that musicians from all over the Arab world, can rock it. Her Iraqi dialect makes me think I am back a thousand years and loving every bit of it.

You bring a melody from the folklore and tell an indie feeling story through lyrics and saintly vocal expression. This bears appropriate to Nova Emad, a young Armenian-Iraqi, who’s voice has seized the global podium. She is the second act with Armenian and Arab bringing to excel in this style--the other one is Syrian Lena Chamamyan

Needless to say the conflict riddled roots have contributed to Nova's artistic abilities, allowing her to address and mesmerize a steadfast world audience. Nova have benefited from being the daughter of a well known Iraqi vocalist, Seta Hagopian, and her mothers warm voice and kind manners. This is the kind of music that will draw minds and hearts to Iraq. What a breath of fresh air that makes us forget all about this computer monkey pop noise. Good music does not have to be loud to make us all so giddy.
Soon enough Nova took on the sounds of the 'golden age' such as Abdel Halim Hafez, Fairuz and, of course, Oum Kalthoum. Her voice is very close to be in the ranks of Norah Jones where same soft, sensual cadences she uses when she sings — that graceful blend of sun, elegance, and rhythm. Such combinations turns the familiar into something exotic and the exotic into something intimate.

Her Ghurbah track captivates the heart and tangles the senses of those living away form home--including many Iraqis and Arabs. The music of Beahar Hussam Al Azzawi serves as a vehicle to this gorgeous and intimate voice. The music video is similar to something NASA would air of the outer space worlds, it's magical, mysterious and remind us of how small we all are.

;نوفا عماد - غربة Nova Emad - Ghurbah Nova

WTF? This Dance Music Video Makes No Sense

Those dancers do not have to be Egyptians  but the song is the most ghetto song you will hear this venture. A bunch of girls wearing tops are dancing (or shaking it) and this donkey like voice entertainer spits out his song like a venom creeping into one's brain.

I only landed on this video because an artists I follow, liked this video--she is dead to me now. What do you like about this crappy song where auto-tune garbage of a shitty noise. Here's the kicker the man behind this noise, is known as Saeed Kammba he is a college graduate. That's sad because he sounds like he should ask his university for a refund. 

Here's another sad reality check, almost all people dancing to those songs are never females. They are often confused and broke teens and young men who like to dance in crowded streets late at night at weddings and block parties.

 saeed kammba رقص عين شمس والمطريه والحسنيه القهراوى مرحبتين

فليم الحفلة - كليب محمود الحسيني جو تو هيل Listen To This Garbage "Go To Hell" 2013

It sucks to be an Arab looking for original songs nowadays. It seems the movie makers of Egypt have one formula to get their movies sold. Shock the hell out of your movie goers, so they will talk about the movie. Now, they want the promo song to do just that.

Nakes ladies do not cut it anymore, so they bring a guy who sounds like a donkey and give him a one line song "Go To Hell" is that line. A song about Facebook, people who change their names to sounds more hip and those who claim to be from better areas. The song is being used to market the film to folks who do not usually have a TV set, so the radio will pick this song up.

This is fake times we live in, a noise has been captured for a little over a minute and called a new song, where the like singer screams for that time. To hell is where the movie producer and director will certainly go, not because they are artists but because the are anti-art.

The song will air instead of the trailer on those cheap low budget music networks, who are looking for free stuff.

 فليم الحفلة - كليب محمود الحسيني جو تو هيل Go To Hell 2013 


‫كليب محمود الحسينى - جو تو هيل 2013 | من فيلم الحفله

Download: Amina 2013 Album Nefsy Neb'ed / ألبوم أمينة - نفسى نبعد

Amina is a star among many, she is the nice home girl that even the biggest stars adore her and her sassy ways. She does Egypt solid each time she sings live. Four months ago she had given herself an image makeover, where she was no longer that every girl look. I am going to come out and say it, she was a lot sexier and had her makeup done in a perfect way.

Then all of sudden she has captured a whole new audience. The kind of people who put image before voice--they are many. Now that she has gotten married and had featured one of the biggest New Year concerts in Egypt, she is glad to release her latest album. Her first in about three years since her mainstream debut.  

There are 14 tracks, most of them are 100 percent Egyptian style. Amina is unafraid to let her spunky and chick side appear. She makes great dance songs where she actually puts the guy in his place. Most of her songs are happy, the kind you play at weddings and parties. But she has also some romantic and dramatic songs--some of which are head hitting. We have all been impressed by track number 14 "Ma Beikharagnesh"

I love the style of 90 percent of this album, the rest is not for me, this is a great endorsement for a popular songstress who is actually talented. The album has good and heartwarming songs, funny and catchy ones, and folksy types. Somehow she has manged to put together an album for street festivals, weddings and those lonely souls.  

1. Sabbetto 
2. Ya Marakby 
3. El Leila 
4. Nefsy Neb'ed
5. Bahebo Ya Baba
6. Tele'lak Hess 
7. Ew'a T'oul Lehad 
8. Mesh Btaa' Gawaz 
9. Matdakhalhomsh Bena 
10. Ou'bal Andoko 
11. Kefaya Aleik Keda 
12. Efrah 
13. Ashok Feik 
14. Ma Beikharagnesh

Amina Album Promo - Nefsy Neb'ed / برومو ألبوم أمينة - نفسى نبعد

Amina Album Promo - Nefsy Neb'ed / برومو ألبوم أمينة - نفسى نبعد

Mostafa Shawki Egypt's Newest Old Man / Young Man Singer

Mostafa Shawki is an underrated Egyptian contemporary composer/singer. He has singed up with Hamid El Shari to include one of his folksy seaside songs in one of the hits album. The music for his track is nothing new, part of the folklore that has been around for ages. But Mostafa's voice is a treat. Had I not known better, I would think this is some old guy's song who has lived in the 1960s.

Mostafa had a song before on Rahab Radio--owned by Hamid El Shari as well. The single talked about national unity and its importance at this moment. I know the music scene is crowded, but not with this style. This is a throwback song to an era where people think their dreams have been buried.


مصطفى شوقي - ليل يابو الليالي

"سبل عيونه" One Palestine Song, Many Versions And Styles

There is no formal Palestinians song, if there is it has yet to be commercialized. There are many traditional wedding songs most Palestinians grow up listening to. They are written in our DNA and they live though us to the history of our ancestors and the land. Bless their hearts the village people for preserving the art form singing, they take their fun seriously.  

One classical Palestinians song about a guy on his wedding night, as they are getting ready to tattoo his hand with Henna. He is overjoyed and his eyes tell so many tales of his happy yet uncertain future. The song strikes a balance of happy and sad about the changes that happen.

I have included a dozen of version of the song where it comes in different singing styles and where different artists perform essentially y the same song.

اغاني العرس الفلسطيني - سبل عيونه


سبل عيونو شفيق كبها


ابراهيم صبيحات سبل عيونه


فرقة العاشقين - سبل عيونه

Traditional Saudi Music Comes To Washington, DC

Bring your family and get ready of a rare celebration that will take place in Washington, DC, the American capital. The Smithsonian, the world's largest museum complex is hosting an event exhibiting Saudi culture to the public. "Eid al-Arabia: A Cultural Celebration," Saturday, Nov. 17, 9:30 am-5 pm. While there will be many events and functions, the portion I am interested in the most is the music.

For more details please visit this webpage.

Traditional Saudi Music

Date Saturday, November 17, 2012, 11 am, 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM Categories Performances Venue Sackler Gallery Event Location Sublevel 1 Cost Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Details An ensemble of musicians from Saudi Arabia performs traditional music from the Arabian Peninsula. Poetic lyrics and complex rhythms combine with ancient modal melodies to produce distinctive regional styles. Vocalists are accompanied by ‘ud (lute), qanun (zither), nay (flute), drums, and violin. traditional saudi song

Oka w Ortega, The Egyptian Duo Making Poor Man's Music

There's a new singing form in the streets of Egypt, they are are called music festivals for Sha'abi music. They are a 100 percent auto-tune products. They make the songs sound weird....but there are to guys in Egypt who have been dubbed the force behind this kind of music.

The lyrics are  your average, sha'abi or folksy style. You do not have to go to school to process those words....they are straight talkers who call it as it is, no cultural filters. Take out the auto-tune and the song still sucks. Oka w Ortega have not made hit the jackpot and they have became celebrities. The video below was filmed in a TV appearance alongside the Syrian diva Asala who also hosts the show.  

Oka w Ortega used to headlight weddings, not they hold concerts and TV appearances, which might not sit well with their earlier fans. Their stage names do not maker any sense to me and sound like they are from Central America. I do not know if this singing style will last, it might be a fad. But as of this moment Oka and Oretga are the only stars we get.

Let me know what you think about this new art form.

Oka w Ortega | أوكا & أورتيجا - مهرجان " كبرتك علي سيدك " اصالة

Sayed Mekawy, The Sweetest Blind Arab Musicians

Growing up with no sight in your eye must be tough and it must give people limited resources and unlimited challenges, one Egyptian man refused to see himself this way. Sayed Mekawy is one legendary and iconic Arab composer, singer who have shaped the contemporary Arabic music scene. He had added dozens of hits to the Arab classical library and most of us grew up listening to his iconic songs.

His songs are part of the collective Arab heritage that manged to captivate all Arabs without regard to culture  dialect of musical style. Sayed Mekawy refused using modern musical technological of his time and instead focused on the basics. He made pure and original Arabic music using his lute.

Sayed Mekawy was not born blind, he cried for days after the death of his father, and he stopped crying but the tears kept flowing and days later he would lose his eyesight. Undeterred by this disability, he wont onw to learn the Koran and recite it so well. Slowly he made the transition to music by doing religious themed songs  for Ramadan and other holy occasions.

His songs ended up touching on all the important economic, social, intellectual and political issues directly concerning the less privileged classes. He wrote music for almost all popular singers, except Abdel Halim Hafez. He did work with Oum Kalthoum. He has performed hundreds of songs and toured most Arab countries where he took his show. Among his legacy is adding to the Egyptian folklor music and especially the operetta Al-Leila Al-Kebira ("The Big Night")

Aside form his political and nationalist songs, he has some of the most romantic songs that live on and tell tales of this man's talent.

‏ سيد مكاوي حفلة بغداد : اغنية ما تفوتنيش انا وحدي


حلوين من يومنا والله - سيد مكاوي

The Sound Of Nineties vs. Eighties Pop

1990 was not a year where computers were used to make music, not in the Arab world anyway. But the music they made back then was a product of old school mixing and electric musical instruments that sounded cool back then. Such music is still hip to my ears. You can tell the 80s and 90s music right away.

It sounded like a bunch of cars trying to make music using only their horns. I am trying to say that the 90s pop music sounds like a perfect candidate for laser light shows. The song below is a remake of an old song by the dude of folksy music in Egypt---Ahmed Adawiya. Ahmed was not considered cool until 20 years later when our taste has changed.

The new voice belongs to Mamdooh Darwish, the music has been arranged by the guy who made the ear of the 80s and 90s pop possible--Hamid El Shari

والله ولعب الهوا -- ممدوح درويش


أحمد عدوية - والله و لعب الهوا

Vintage Libyan Song By Mohamed Rasheed

There was once a vivid music scene in Libya, in fairness just like desert dwelling communities, music has always played a part of the folklore. Libya is no different. One of the pioneer in the Libyan music is the gentleman with the name Mohamed Rasheed.

I have tried to dig up info on this singer, but I have failed. I have included one of his most famous songs. Most Arabs would call this song part of Al Fan Al Seel which means authentic art. In the post Qaddafi world, more people are reconnecting with their heritage--the dictator did not like to make celebrities and hated to have any rivals in any field.

"The heart doesn't/won't forget you" is the title of the song. I suspect the song is form the 60s?

تراث ليبي .. محمد رشيد .. القلب ما ينساكم

The 70s Star Katkoot Al Amir Passes Away

He is no award winning artist. But he was a popular hit maker of the seventies and eighties, where he has starred in movies and singing in them folksy style that fits the slums. He had acted or appeared in at least nine movies and came in the Egypt's new policy of change under President Sadat. He was the Micro-bus star.

He was a night club star, beloved by many wealthy Arabs who brought their oil money to party in Egypt. He has a likable character and a happy voice made for parties and late night get together. He is credited to be the first link between the cinema industry and the poor people in the slums of Egypt and its mega cities.

He started as a drummer in a local band before he started signing. He had met Egypt's greatest composer Abdel Wahab who asked me to stop drumming and took it away to show off his own skills. Katkoot would sing simple words, the kind you hear in markets and the streets to bring joy into this world. He has passed away and survived by his family..

غزال الدرب الاحمر

Wake Up And Smell The /♥ Fairuz ♥

A bagel and a cup of Fayrouz please! Mornings are not called morning till someone plays a song by this world famous Lebanses diva. Most Arabs and Lebanese might not walk away from their motherland and their language, but they will never give up on her music. They know the kind of feelings she sings about transcend any other emotions.

Fayrouz in a way the glue that attaches many Arabs to the motherland, she reminds them of home, of their own mothers. I love her and I adore her music. She is a legend and her music tells all kinds of stories about lost love, the motherland, and the old country.

She has become one folks legend, one romance lady, a spokesperson for the motherland. Kings love her, she could care less. She is more popular than all of them combined. Some of her greatest hits are included below. Keep on mind, all her songs are her greatest hits.

السيده فيروز - فيروزيات خالده وصباحيات معهوده /♥ Fairuz ♥

Ghada Shbeir, Classical Arabic Music For This Time

Ghada Shbeir is not made for this time of ours. She is made for the older times, the concert halls, grace, class and glamour. That time was both original and fresh, offering doses of what''s now the gems of Arabic music. The 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s gave Arabia loads of music that speaks for itself.

Ghada Shbeir has a Masters degree in music in Eastern Music, she knows the music inside out. Her songs have won awards in behalf of North Africa and the rest of Arabia. She has been graced with awards in Egypt too. She sings with music, but she does not have to as she has proper training and expreince in Capella performances

The bulk of her work is on classical music from the East, not just Arabic music. She has researched old Christian music in few ancient languages, she uncovered more than 500 compositions as a result. She is proud to represent her country Lebanon and thus she has traveled all over the world (Paris, London, Canada, Estonia, Slovakia, Greece, Egypt, Oman, Abu Dhabi, Spain, etc.) with her music and her talent that few have.

انا عشقت - غادة شبير


انت حبيبي - غادة شبير