Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Wa Habibi Good Friday by Fairouz

Christmas Hymns تراتيل الميلاد



Christmas Hymns

Even though Christmas is months away, the album gets you in the spirit of the holidays. I am sitting here anticipating snow to come falling. Or Santa to come down the chimney, even though there's no chimney.Unlike many other albums, all the songs on this album have the same theme, Christmas. What a revelation huh? Anyway from the introductory church bells through the other hymns and finally with church bells again, it's all about Christmas. And like Christmas it's ends fast.In the booklet, there are a number of photos taken from a television show.
All Songs are traditional.Lyrics and arrangments made by The Rahbani Brothers.

Album tracks:

1. Carillons 1'

2. Sawt El Eid (Silent Night) 2'40"

3. Laylet Eid (Jingle Bells) 2'51"

4. Talj Talj 2'21"

5. Najmet Eid (Les Anges Dans Nos Campagnes) 2'57"

6. Ya Mariyam El Bekr 3'08"

7. Soubhan El Kalima 4'01"

8. Arsalallah 5'04"

9. Ya Oum Allah 4'

10. Carillons 2'22"

download all tracks in 30-11-08

Monday, October 27, 2008

Christmas Carols اغاني الميلاد
























Christmas Carols

doesn't say on the cover when this concert took place, but I think it's safe to say sometime in the eighties. Some of the carols are also available in the earlier Christmas Hymns. Even though the Rahbani Brothers wrote the music and lyrics for one carol, it's a masterpiece. What's distinctive about the versions of the carols on this album is the arrangement of instruments and audio quality. For instance, the low quality of the audio in Chobho Lhaw Qolo/Soubhan ElKalema on the Hymns album didn't do the hymn its justice. It sounds far holier on this album. There are also other carols and hymns on the album which make the album a must by, including a version of 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' which Fairuz sings in English and sounds very nice.
The words of Talj Talj, Chobho Lhaw Qolo (Arabic Part), Laylet Eid and Ayed Ellayl were written by
The Rahbani brothers. The words of Hallelo Hallelouya, Kena Nezayn Shagara Saghira, Eid Eldeni, Molok Elmajoos and Roh Zorhon Bebayton by Joseph HarbMusic of Talj Talj by the Rahbani Brothers. The music of the other carols are based on previously written ones. See the album tracks below for more information.




Album tracks:
1. Amanou Morio (Syriac Hymn)
2. Talj Talj
3. Chobho Lhaw Qolo (Syriac Hymn)
4. Laylet Eid (Jingle Bells/American Tradition)
5. Adeste Fideles (Music by John F. Wade)
6. Hallelo Hallelouya (Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant/French Carol)
7. Kena Nezayn Shagara Saghira (God Rest Ye Merry Christmas/ Traditional English Carol)
8. Eid Eldeni (O Tannenbaum/Traditional German Carol)
9. Tzakar Ya Habibi (Joy to the World/Music by Handel)
10. Molok Elmajoos (Bizet Carol/Music by Bizet)
11. Roh Zorhon Bebayton (Go Tell It on the Mountain/Negro-Spiritual)
12. Ayed Ellayl (Silent Night/Music by Franz Gruber)
13. We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Traditional English Carol)
14. Laylet Eid (reprise) (Jingle Bells Reprise)





Friday, October 24, 2008

Yes'ed Sabahak يسعد صباحك

Yes'ed Sabahak
Is there another song one wants to wake up to more beautiful
than Yes'ed Sabhak? And it's not just the featured song that engulfs a certain aspect of waking up in the morning from what is now considered an estranged era. They all fit themselves into the criterion of the long gone good old days. The songs can be described as simple and dreamy. The second track 'Arabet Lamia' is a musical sketch in which Fairuz takes the role of Lamia as she along with her friends go for a ride. It's hard not to start imagining their journey when the Rahbani Brothers provide you with all the scenery in their simple lyrics. The green pasture, the hills, the fields, the night, the nature one longs to. The other songs follow the same theme of simplicity providing colorful and vivid mental images of roses, butterflies and many other things. But it's not just the lyrics which Fairuz performs brilliantly, the music itself delivers a lot of the essence of the songs. It dances with the poems, it flies and clings to Fairuz's voice producing this masterpiece. At some parts, you'd start thinking, is Fairuz singing to the music or is the music playing to Fairuz's voice? Who's leading in this great conjunction of talent and absolute brilliance? Who's in control? The peak of such greatness can only be reached in the Rahbani-Fairuz collaborations, and this album shows it all. The songs don't sound re-mastered at all and just to be fair it doesn't say so on the cover. All the songs maintain the same quality which is close or maybe even less than the quality of radio broadcast.
Album tracks:

1. Yes'ed Sabahak 2'56"
2. Arabet Lamia 9'42"
3. La Tensany ... Ana Houna 3'43"
4. Zar Beskoun Ellayl 2'42"
5. Ihkili 2'46"
6. Ya Dar Betlouh 2'40"
7. Layl Eleed 3'55"
8. Marhaba ... Marhaba 7'43"
9. 'an Houbak Ghanaina 3'14"
10. Baytouna Filjazira 3'59"
11. Koset Alwared 4'28"

download all tracks

Houmoum El hob هموم الحب

Houmoum El hob
Prior to listening to this album, I thought there weren't as many Fairuz's children songs. I was proven wrong because in this album there are three very sweet songs. They're simple in melody and lyrics, and Fairuz probably recorded the songs in a studio in heaven. Certainly neither do these songs nor the album's title, which made me think this was mainly a broken heart themed album, can tell about the rest of the songs, as the album is a mix of different kinds of songs which range from love to happiness, from faith to children's songs, and from sorrow to yearning. In the end, this is one of must have albums. And by the way, don't try to take out the booklet, it doesn't contain any information and you will only suffer trying to place it back in.


Album tracks:

Thursday, October 23, 2008

أنا و سهرانة Ana we Sehrana

ana wsahrani
The songs were originally produced in the sixties in different occasions and they follow the same musical and lyrical approach found in other songs that were written in that period.

Elias' song stands out. First it felt odd being placed in this album. I think there should be an album released that contains the songs Elias wrote for Fairuz. This song is great. There are better sounding versions of 'Shal' and 'Yara' than the ones in the Andaloussiyat album. Nasri Shameseddine also sings in Yaoum Ou Yaoumain.

Album tracks: