Arabic popular music produced several divas in the 20th century, with each blessed with a powerful distinctive voice. Some of them included the "Egyptian Immortal" Oum Kalthoum, who dominated Arabic radio with her expressive voice; "Algerian Rose" Warda; Farouz, "The Star of Lebanon"; and "Syrian Mystic" Asmahan, whose life was tragically cut short at just 32.
Each of these legendary singers recorded songs that have become fan favourites, such as Kalthoum's Al Atlal or Warda's Harramt Ahibbak. Kalthoum and Farouz both appeared in the column some years back during reviews of Arabic street music, but I have only mentioned Warda in passing. Now fans have a chance to hear Warda on her 1975 cult classic album We Malo (So What?), a reissue of which is being released by the wewantsounds label later this month.
Warda is a much-sampled artist -- hip-hop musicians such as Jay-Z have sampled her distinctive grooves, particularly from her 1970s recordings.
Born in Paris suburbs to Algerian Lebanese parents, she was discovered by Pathe Marconi at just 11 and began singing in her father's Arabic cabaret, Le Tam-Tam. In the 1950s, the family moved to Beirut where she was spotted by an Egyptian film producer who took her to Cairo to work with composers like Mohammed Abdel Wahab. And then for more than a decade she retired from the music scene to raise a family.
An invitation to sing again by then Algerian President Houari Boumediene proved to be an epiphany for Warda, who divorced her husband, moved back to Cairo and began a spectacular comeback during the glory years of Arabic pop's Golden Era from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.
With her new husband, composer Baligh Hamdi, she released a series of funky albums that featured long, hypnotic tunes and songs that showcased her incredible voice and infectious rhythms.
Recorded live, We Malo is perhaps the grooviest, funkiest of her 1970s albums and it features plenty of dancefloor fillers (wewantsounds released another of her albums, Khalik Hena, a few years back). These hypnotic grooves feature a full Cairo orchestra (complete with the distinctive Cairo strings sound), along with electric guitar, bass and keyboards.
Her music blends traditional Arabic music with modern instruments with a nod to funk and jazzy grooves. The tracks on the album all have the same name, but I can't get enough of We Malo Part 1 and We Malo Part 4, the latter mainly because it has terrific all and response vocals. An essential, seminal album for any music collection.
The good folks of wewantsounds released a compilation album from Algeria that complements Warda's We Malo. Released in March this year, Sweet Rebels – The Golden Era Of Algerian Pop-Rai was compiled by DJ Cheb Gero.
Rai music emerged from the bars of Algeria's port city Oran. Long-time readers know of my fondness for Rai music, which was taken from North Africa by stars like Cheb Khaled (starting in the 1970s) and Cheba Fadela. You can hear their version of Rai, which is a grittier and more politically oriented sound on Earthworks seminal compilation Rai Rebels, which was released in 1988 (N'sel Fik by Cheba Fadela on this album is one of my all-time favourite Rai songs and one I often play when I DJ).
Sweet Rebels originates from the cassettes released by street vendors in Algeria, often on the mysterious Oriental Music Production label. The new release offers some of these tracks on vinyl for the first time. And there are some belting songs, too. Cheb Zahouani's Zinek Bekani, the reggae-like grooves of Ala Bladi Nebki by Abderrahmane Djalti and Chaba Amina's hypnotic Kindi Ebatai are all standouts. If you have the Rai Rebels compilation, you'll want this one.
Summer releases often feature reissues and the World Beat desk has been inundated with all different kinds of reissues, some of which I'll review in future columns.
However, Latin music fans will be delighted to find out that the Craft Latino label has reissued some unmissable salsa classics on vinyl, some of which had been long out of print. Check out Hector Lavoe's El Sabio, re-released to celebrate its 45th anniversary, and the Willie Colon and Ruben Blades debut 1977 album Metiendo Mano! (the first of four brilliant albums by this duo); both albums were originally on the Fania label.
John Clewley can be contacted at clewley.john@gmail.com.
