As Reviewed in the Quarter 2/05 Issue of The Belly Dancer Magazine

"Fatouma"

Dr. Samy Farag

A CD Review, by Leilainia Penix

     Nobody can conjure the playful soulfulness with urbane melodies, dynamic instrumental wit, and gracious detail as Dr. Samy Farag has in his new release Fatouma.   Based on Arabic origins, Fatouma meshes a jovial fusion of Arabic, French, Spanish and American music genres into a delightful arrangement of perfectly extended songs. 

     Dr. Samy Farag, composer and founder of the recording label Sphinx Records, puts the marvel of belly dancing onto disc with the release of Fatouma.  As with his past releases, Dr. Farag's new CD is full of appealing emotional surprises. Expect the unexpected, where balidi turns tango and malfouf turns hip-hop. I listened to the CD as I drove around town and found myself shimming uncontrollably in my seat. But it didn't stop there; the music moved through my belly, my heart and extended through my fingertips.  I was conjuring fantastic performances, totally caught up into the moment, not even realizing the light had turned green and all eyes where on me.

    I experienced a full symphony of emotions while listening. It's charming, dramatic, loving, intimate and fun. It's 80 minutes of exciting, intelligent, fresh melodies designed to make you dance!  This ultra-modern composition is a guaranteed hit with dancers and world music lovers.

     Every song on this album is outstanding; nevertheless, there are those few moments that can connect with the listener in a special and unique way. The title song, Fatouma, creates a lovely and modern musical image of a traditional story.  The story is that of a beautiful Bedwin girl walking through an open-air market in Egypt. Her sexy saunter causes an onlooker to break into song. His passion not only causes the Bedwin to begin dancing, but also the entire market place to clap and whistle.  Late Mohamed Fawzy composed the original folkloric music. Dr. Farag rearranges the music into a very modern, club style mix with Rashed, Rana and Bilal creating the passionate vocals. It is full of striking instrumentals and a mini drum solo, making it great for solo performances and clubbing.

     The second song instantly caused me to twirl across the floor. This instrumental is a complete belly dance routine in itself, starting with malfouf rhythm and slow taquaseems, moving into traditional Baladi Maqusoum and solos, followed by a modern drum solo and finally ending where it started with fast malfouf. I Feel Like Dancing is a fun dance piece with a natural interaction of different instrumentals.  It is the perfect song to show off all the traditional Arabic dance patterns.

     Ole'/Salamat is a studio experiment where for the first time in belly dance music Arabic, Spanish and Rap are intertwined. Rapper Yusef opens the song powerfully, followed by a Ricky Martin flavor chant to Arabic techno back beats, mixing in a sweet question and answer session between the Spanish singer (Margarita) and the Arabic singer (Fidel Fayad). It is an outstanding composition! The mixes of traditional and modern beats make it fun for dancing, no matter the skill level.

     Dr. Farag is most ingenious in his composition of Abdel Wahab Cocktail. The Tango and Spanish drums fused with several songs originally written and sang by Mohamed Abdel Wahab creates a dramatic, danceable song great for theatrical performances!

     These are only four of the 16 compositions found on Fatouma.  They are all a brilliant fusion of cultures brought together through the ingenuity of art.  As always, Farag is a virtuoso of going beyond the musical boundaries in order to create an inspirational and danceable album. It is a masterpiece of traditional Arabic serenity, cultivating the musical air between Arabic Techno and Spanish Tango. Fatouma captures the energy and excitement of belly dance in its entirety. There's no question as to why it is nominated for the Best Middle Eastern Dance Music in 2005 by World Music.

     Released on January 22, 2005, the 16-track disc collection of traditional Egyptian belly dance music, modern techno, and rap is a must have! Fatouma is a fitting backdrop to the grace of a single belly dancer, a whirlwind of belly dancers or just listening at home. The more you listen the more you'll have to dance!