{"id":1485,"date":"2010-05-17T18:18:24","date_gmt":"2010-05-18T01:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/?p=1485"},"modified":"2010-05-17T19:50:45","modified_gmt":"2010-05-18T02:50:45","slug":"tracy-3-music-cd-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2010\/05\/17\/tracy-3-music-cd-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"

3 Music CD Reviews: The Dancer’s Choice<\/h3>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Amera – Asal: Music for Arabic Dance
\nSoul Nahawnd – Music for Kitty
\nLeila presents Sukara: Egyptian Bellydance Music Vol. 2<\/h2>\n

by Tracy Benton<\/a>
\nposted May18, 2010<\/span><\/h3>\n

It’s always intriguing to find music presented by or influenced by a particular dancer. What does it mean for the album in question: was the music composed for the dancer? Did the dancer participate in the composition or recording of the music? Perhaps she worked with the musicians to select the arrangements… perhaps she chose already-recorded tracks… without inside information it’s difficult to say, except to conclude that certainly the dancer’s taste is on display. Here are three such CDs for your consideration:<\/p>\n

\"Amera<\/p>\n

Amera – Asal: Music for Arabic Dance<\/p>\n

Amera<\/span> of Australia has been dancing for more than two decades and has performed all over the Arab world; this CD probably reflects what she likes to see in an Arabic music album. First of all, most of the songs have translations in the liner notes! The first track, a majensi<\/em>, is an instrumental version of "Min Gher Leh" — but she includes the song lyrics anyway, with the note<\/p>\n

"This is the actual wording of the song, though not sung as a vocal track on this CD, it is always good to know what the original lyrical version conveyed." Amera knows dancers need to understand what the music is about.<\/p>\n

This CD has a variety of types of music on it: the opening majensi, the perky "Ya Wad Ya Eskanderany", a driving drum solo, and the title track, the classic Sabah song "Zay al Asal" (Like Honey). The CD also offers three Khaleegy numbers: two modern-sounding songs and a drum solo that will start you moving! (I believe the CD is a companion to Amera’s "Learn to Dance Khaleegy" DVD.) The tracks are of varying lengths, from under two minutes to just over seven. The music does sound synthesized, but the "instruments" were not tweaked into sounding too unnatural. While the CD doesn’t offer a standout "star track," it’s a solid addition to a collection, particularly for those wanting to add more khaleegy music to the library.<\/p>\n

Rating: three zils
\n\"Zil<\/h4>\n

Purchase directly from the artist here: www.ameraspalace.com.au<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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