Nancy Ajram / Best of Nancy Ajram
(Nancy Ajram/Songcast 2010) – ALL TRACKS FCC CLEAN
Reviewed by Abu Ramses

Nancy Ajram has sold over 12 million albums making her the all-time 3rd best-selling female vocalist in Lebanon. She has won many world music awards and is popular throughout the Arab world. Some consider her to be the icon of the 1st decade of the 20th century in the Arab world – capturing the pleasure-seeking mood of those made rich by neoliberal economic restructuring and those who admire and aspire to this. Nancy succeeded partly because her videos showed lots of skin. Voted “Most beautiful mom” of 2009. But she also has a real voice. Almost all the tracks have a disco/dance beat with Nancy backed by an ensemble combining western and Arab instruments. The percussion is overpowering on most tracks. Not complex, but fun.

Tracks
**1. Eftah albak tefrah - (“Open your heart [to her] and be happy”) light, upbeat - 2:58
2. Mila - (“I Pray that Mila Grows Up”) mid-tempo song for her daughter born in 2009 – 3:36
3. Ebn El Arandali – Bouncy beat in Egyptian pop (sha‘abi) style – 3:53
4. Kol El Hikaya – ("The whole story") upbeat, another Egyptian pop style song – 2:16
5. Akhsamak Ah – Nancy’s voice is more prominent in this one; disco beat – 5:02
6. Elli Kan – (“What was”) up beat song about lost love – 4:32
7.Ya Salam - (lit. “Oh peace”) - mid-tempo -4:42
***8.Ya Tabtab Wa Dallaa – (“I pet and spoil”) Great disco dance song – 4:23
9. Law Ouyounak – (“If your eyes”) – You can hear some qanun in parts of this - 3:58
**10.Ehsas Jdid – (“New feelings) – mid-tempo; discovering love - 4:31
11. Ahla Jaw – (“Sweetest weather”) – little bit of salsa ; everything is great- 3:58
12. Mouchtaga Leik (I’m longing for you) – downbeat song of lost love - 4:28