We Yloumouni

Album Review

A nice album of Egyptian pop from Amr Diab, one of the younger guns on the scene. The sound is somewhat stereotypical of much Middle Eastern pop, though there are some more progressive elements here. The instrumentation largely ignores the synths that became so popular in Arabic pop and rock for a time, with much of the album using basic local instrumentation and/or a standard guitar/bass/drums setup instead. Diab's vocals are incredibly tender, however, forcing the music to remain somewhat quiet and subdued relative to the accompaniment featured with many other artists. Listeners with a general interest in Arabic pop may find this album to be a nice full-length introduction to the region's contemporary music at large, though complete newcomers to the genre may fare better with a compilation that would provide a wider sample of the region's offerings.