Over the past few years, Palestinian singer Rim Banna has seen the music she had created over the last decade become part of the Arab Spring's "soundtrack".. This is her latest album, released in 2013--a soothing, tranquil album that should be listened to in its entirety. All tracks are in classical Arabic except 11. Lyrics are in many instances poems by such poets as Ibn Arabi (track 12), Badr Shaker Assaiab (tracks 2, 6, 7), and Mahmoud Darwish (track 4). Track 11 was written by Amara Al Omrani, a Tunisian prisoner who was tortured under the reign of Ben Ali.

--All Tracks are FCC CLEAN—

**1. The Absent One [Al-Gha’ib] A lamentation in classical Arabic which incorporates the Muslim call to prayer (7:05)
2. . The Hymn of the Rain [Unshudat Al-Matar] Slow, soothing.
3. Supply Me with an Excess of Love [Zidni bi-farat Al-hob] Piano and Rim’s voice, slow and sad.
4. The Trace of the Butterfly [Athar El Farasha] Nice beat, nice use of the nay (a kind of flute).
5. The Taste of Love [Ta3m El Hawa] Another slow ballad.
6. Don’t Increase His Agony [La Taziduhu Law3a] One of the faster tunes, about physical pain vs. emotional pangs.
**7. Stranger in the Gulf [Gharib fil Khalij] Calm intro, a song for Iraq.
8. Astonished by You and Me [3ajibtu minka wa minni] Male vocalist joins Rim Banna during parts of this song.
**9. Two Kinds of Love [Uhibuka Hubbayn] Majestic, slow tune,
nicely orchestrated and accentuated by various Middle Eastern music instruments.
10. My Heart Tells Me [Qalbi YuHadithuni] Grave intro, sound of kamanja (violin) makes the song sad if not heartbreaking.
11. The Free Man [Al-Hur] Fastest track on the CD but still a ballad. In colloquial Arabic.
12. The Sun of Love [Shams Al Hawa] Piano intro, about feeling connected to a Higher Power

**My picks: 1, 7, 9 Ramzi Salti