Eye On The World
Recorded By Brothers Of The Baladi

Overall Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 5 stars)

Out of eleven tracks, nine are either traditional Middle Eastern songs or improvised solos in the Middle Eastern style. They represent songs from a number of nationalities: Persian, Arabic, and Turkish. These are very well suited for belly dancers who are looking for music for either home practice or performing. The remaining two are appealing to listen to, but unless you enjoy incorporating non-Middle Eastern music into your Oriental dance, you probably won't want to use them for shows.

The labeling makes it easy to learn song titles and which country each song is from, which will be very helpful to newcomers to Middle Eastern music.

Click here to order Eye On The World from Amazon.com.

What I Liked: There's a lot to like about Eye On The World, including:

• It uses well-known traditional songs from throughout the Middle East, including several of my favorites.
• For each song, the label identifies the song title, which country it is from, and how long the track is. It's a great introduction for beginners who would like to learn something about the music they are using.
• The production quality is excellent.
• The musicians are skilled, so the songs are played well.

What I Didn't Like:

• Some of the cuts were longer than 4 minutes. Although long cuts are good for practice at home, when preparing a performance or choreography for classroom use I prefer to use cuts that are 3 1/2 minutes or shorter.

Most of the songs on this collection represent traditional songs from throughout the Middle East played on modern-day instruments. To me, several of the songs seemed to have an appealing New Age sort of flavor.

You will probably like this CD/tape if:

• You enjoy using music from throughout the Middle East, not just one particular country.
• You prefer to work with traditional, well-known songs instead of modern-day pop hits.
• You like music that incorporates modern-day instruments such as saxophone, electric bass, and keyboard in addition to traditional instruments.
• You usually dance for mostly Western (American, European, Australian, etc.) audiences and you want music that will appeal to the Western ear.
• You want to become familiar with representative songs that live bands are likely to know and play for you.

You probably won't care for this CD/tape if:

• You like to use only music from a particular country. This is not the right CD/tape for dancers who proclaim that they do only Egyptian style.
• The music you choose for your performances consists primarily of modern-day pop music.
• You prefer music played on traditional instruments with a strong folkloric sound to them.
• You prefer the 20th-century urban Egyptian sound played by a 40-piece orchestra.

Song Title

Length

Nationality

RealAudio Clip?

Translation?

Comments

* Taqsim is the Arabic word for "solo". On this CD label, it refers to an improvised instrumental solo using the Middle Eastern style of improvisation. Oud is a stringed instrument which musicologists believe was the forerunner of the European lute. Bouzouki is a stringed instrument commonly used for Greek music.

** Entries labeled "Instrumental" are pieces that have never had lyrics, and therefore are never recorded with vocals.

I have enjoyed music by the Brothers Of The Baladi since 1985, long before I ever had a real conversation with any of the band members. I've liked the songs they have chosen to record, and when watching them play for other dancers in live shows, I've been impressed at how dancer-friendly they are. They genuinely try to play music that will please the dancer and make her look good.

I bought this CD when it was released in 1994, and based my buying decision on two things: 1) I liked the music on earlier recordings released by the Brothers, and 2) I saw the titles of several songs I liked on the list of music included on this recording.

My first actual contact with the Brothers came in 1999, when we agreed to link to each other's web sites. Later, when they came to my city on tour, they invited me to perform with them. It was a great experience that reinforced my enthusiasm for their work.

Click here to order Eye On The World from Amazon.com.

Or, contact The Brothers Of The Baladi as follows:

Brothers of the Baladi
P.O. Box 14083
Portland, OR 97293-0083
U.S.A.

Phone (+1) (503) 288-4684
Email: mbeachbaladi@earthling.net
Web Site: http://www.baladi.com/

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