Rather than compete with Kulthum's longing alto, still revered in the Arab world 33 years after the singer's death, Arabesque enlisted a male vocalist, 75-year-old Syrian Youssef Kassab. He isn't as theatrical as Kulthum, who could ecstatically prolong a single love ballad for an hour. The longest track, "Habibi Yessa'ed Awkatu," runs only 10 minutes, but that's enough time to display its spiraling melody, roundabout structure and yearning emotion. One representative title, "Leh Tilaw'ini," translates as "Why Do You Make Me Suffer So?" The lyric provides no answer, but the music does: because these songs twist and stretch sadness until it becomes a kind of joy.
-- by Mark Jenkins
02/29/08 >>