Rough Guide to Arabic Cafe

I love the variety of music, artists found on each "Rough Guide" CD.

This album contains a lot of music, both traditional and modern pop, and as such it makes for a nice assortment of tunes. The sounds vary from song to song, so you never get bored with the music. Middle Eastern instruments are well represented on this album, so the sounds are different from Western music. In short, it's an exotic compilation that will feed your need for something unusual. Playing time is about an hour.My one complaint is that many of the 16 songs on this album are quite short, three minutes or under, and about the time you're getting into the tune it's over. This was disappointing, as I liked most of the songs on the album and wanted them to be longer. The music is enjoyable, it's just that much of it is briefer than I would like.I can recommend this album as something that stands out, but I liked the *Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco* more because the songs are longer, and you can savor them more. There are only 11 songs on that album, but they're all 5-8 minutes long. The album plays for 70 minutes. I found the music on this album to be rawer than the *Arabic Cafe*; both sets of musicians seem passionate about their music. Maybe you should get both of these albums and decide for yourself which is better, you might find yourself liking short tunes.

musique arabe, rêve et magie du du kahwah à la cardamome, senteurs et parfums de jasmin, épices ... tout dans cette musique nous y mène

Following hot on the trail of 'Rough Guide to North African Cafe,' this album continues Rough Guide's move towards themed or mood CDs (as opposed to their earlier releases which tended to cover specific geographic regions). This time around, we're treated to a broader sweeping coverage of the modern Arabic and Arabic-fusion music scene, transporting you to smoke-filled coffee houses in Cairo and Damascus, cutting edge night clubs in Dubai and Beirut, and the bustling streets of Jerusalem, Marrkech and Baghdad. So what sets this CD apart from the dozens of other 'Arabic lounge' type albums out there, some of which are indeed pretty good? Well the selections for one. Rough Guide compilations tend to feature outstanding selections, living up to their name, and this particular release is no exception. The old guard of Arabic music appears alongside cutting edge new artists, all of whom you'll be fascinated to search for more releases from. Not only that, but they tend to emphasize local artists, as in guys who actually come from Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Syria and other Arab states.Long time fans of Arabic music will appreciate the inclusion of familiar names on this album, such as the grand lady of Egyptian song herself, Oum Kalthoum, the 'Oriental piano' of Maurice el Medioni, and yet another remix of Rachid Taha's 'Ya Rayah' (itself a cover). Theres also a cover of Fariuz's 'Kifak Inta' by Marwan Mesho and the Salatin el Tarab Orchestra (who appear on the 'Think Global: Bellydance' album). And Lebanon's Ghada Shbeir (who won a BBC 3 World Music Award in 2007) uses her astounding voice to showcase the beautiful art of muwashshah. But the real treat comes from the more recent artists, some of whom were new even to myself. Several talented Egyptian artists, such as Fatma Zidan and Mohammed Roshdi, the police orchestra sound of Habib Shehadeh Hanna and Reem Talhami, and an incredibly cool Gypsy tinged cover of the old Andalusian 'Lamma Bada' by Lebanese crooner Tony Hanna and the Yugoslavian Gipsy Brass Band (who give it a suitably Balkan feel). Even Nubian music gets represented by Mahmoud Fadl, and a collaboration between Salamat and Les Musiciens du Nil!All in all, each track is quite atmospheric, from lush Egyptian orchestras to Balkan Gypsy bands, from the melodic sound of the 'oud to haunting female vocals, from Nubian drumming to techno-remixed rai. Unlike the previous 'Rough Guide to North African Cafe' (which it nonetheless complements quite nicely) this album tries to cover the entire Arabic world, but with a strong emphasis on Egypt and the Mashreq So if you are a fan of Middle Eastern music, this CD will be right up your alley. So pop this CD into your player, grab a cup of qahwa and light up your shisha... this album is the next best thing to being in Cairo, Aleppo, Algiers, Casablanca, Beirut or Jiddah. I really recommend you buy this CD alongside it's counterpart, 'Rough Guide to North African Cafe,' especially if you want even MORE Arabic sounds. And check out some of the other artists who appear on this CD. You will fall in love with them all!

Great world music! You must listen to appreciate.

Würde ich auf jeden Fall nochmals kaufen, die Musik trägt einem förmlich in die arabische Welt. Zauberhaft !

Nice

スターバックが昔店頭で売っていた彼らの編集と思われるＣＤはそれなりに楽しめたのだが、このＣＤはどこのカフェ向けか知らないが少なくともアラブのローカルなカフェにいることを想像して異国情緒を楽しめるものではない。

Everything as expected, Excellent choice, great purchase.

The 'Café' is presumably to distinguish this disc from the Rough Guide to Arabic Jazz. This is a varied selection, and worth having as a beginner's introduction to Arabic music. I'd recommend the Rough Guide to the Music of Palestine to accompany this.