My Review of Yasmine Hamdan's New CD




Hamdan, Yasmine / Yasmine Hamdan
Album:Yasmine Hamdan Collection:World
Artist:Hamdan, Yasmine Added:06/2012
Label:Kwaidan Records 



Album Review
Reviewed by Ramzi Salti, Ph.D.
Reviewed 2012-06-13 
Yasmine Hamdan's self titled CD cements the solo career of this Lebanese female vocalist who has already achieved much musical success as part of such Arab alternative bands as 'Soapkills' and 'YAS.'  In this album, she includes new songs plus old Arabic classics, re-recorded with her own voice, while making them distinctly experimental, grungy, disturbing, yet completely appealing. CD is produced by Marc Collin.

1. In Kan Fouadi (3:47) Old Egyptian song in classical arabic. Very trance-like.
**2. Beirut (3:30) Based on a Lebanese song from the 1940s and set to 12-string guitar melody.
3. Samar (3:27) Has a Beduin feel. Sounds like a chant. Echoing vocals.
4. Baaden (3:26) Hypnotic tune sung with a Egyptian/ Palestinian dialect.
5. Ya Nass (3:15) Slow, rhythmic song calling out to people for help.
6. Irss (2:38) Song title means 'wedding.' Sung in Kuwaiti dialect. The most joyful track on this CD.
**7. Nediya (3:55) Whispery vocals set to thumping beat, slow but passionate. Picks up and slows down again.
8. Nag (3:41) Song about a relationship gone wrong. Sounds tense, slow, and gives the listener a sense of urgency. Builds up to faster rhythm.
9. Shouei (3:34) Ballad with string guitar and dreamy vocals about 'slowing down.'
10. La Mouch (3:32) Melancholic song about refusing to return to a past love. Instantly likable beat.
**11. Bala Tantanat (3:58). Title means 'Without Ceremony.' Starts out very slow giving way to breathy verses and eventual crescendo of back vocals.

My picks: 2, 7, 11

Track Listing
1.In Kan Fouadi 6.Irss
2.Beirut 7.Nediya
3.Samar 8.Nag
4.Baaden 9.Shouei
5.Ya Nass 10.La Mouch
 11.Bala Tantanat

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