For this album, released in 1990 and still the best compilation of modern Egyptian music around, David Lodge divvied Egyptian pop into working-class shaabi music and the upscale, educated,

Yalla: Hit List Egypt

For this album, released in 1990 and still the best compilation of modern Egyptian music around, David Lodge divvied Egyptian pop into working-class shaabi music and the upscale, educated, urban al-jil ("generation") sound, and devotes six rambunctiously appealing tracks to each. In al-jil the ongoing struggle between Islamic conservatism and a secular society tempted by Western ways is acted out in jumpy synthesizer rhythms and cautious, carefully monitored lyrics sung by some of the world's most sensuous singers. So-called shaabi music, on the other hand, is a funkier, rootsier reaction by Arab "country" singers to the wayward politics and pitfalls of urban life. The instruments are acoustic and traditional, the lyrics often socially conscious, and the emotions fervent. Relatively untouched by the West, Egyptian music provides a unique sonic entryway into a truly different cultural universe. ---Richard Gehr
Country USA
Manufacturer Mango
Binding Audio CD
ItemPartNumber 539 873-2
ReleaseDate 1990-09-14
UPCs 001625398732
EANs 0001625398732

Yalla: Hit List Egypt