Friday 4 September 2009

Ana Hina by Natacha Atlas




Ana Hina is an album by Belgian singer Natacha Atlas. It was released by World Village on May 26, 2008. The album primarily features acoustic cover versions of songs originally performed by Arabic singers Fairuz and Abdel Halim Hafez. It was also influenced by Scottish and Latin music.Many of the songs on the album were culled from her father's personal tape collection by Atlas' music director, Harvey Brough. The lyrics to "La Vida Callada", a duet with Spanish singer Clara Sanabras, are based on a poem composed by Frida Kahlo. "Black is the Colour" is a traditional Scottish folk song.Atlas' version is loosely based on Nina Simone's cover version and features aMiddle Eastern musical arrangement.The song "He Hesitated" refers to the Iraq War; Atlas has openly criticized the foreign policy decisions of former United States President George W. Bushand former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Ana Hina received positive reviews from music critics. In a review for The Guardian, Robin Denselow called the album a "mature, varied and entertaining set".The Times reviewer David Hutcheon described Ana Hina as "rather wonderful" and named "La Vida Callada" as its best song.Youssef Rakha of the The National wrote that the album "is a powerful statement about being in the world today, a musical monument to globalisation" and further commented that its "effect is both refreshing and disorienting".


Track listing

#TitleSongwritersLength
1"Ya Laure Hobouki"Rahbani Brothers4:22
2"Beny Ou Benak Eih"Mamoun AlShinnawy, Kamal AlTaweel4:12
3"Ana Hina"Natacha Atlas, Harvey Brough5:12
4"La Shou El Haki"Rahbani Brothers3:18
5"Black is the Colour"John Jacob Niles4:07
6"Le Teetab Alayi"Rahbani Brothers3:20
7"La Vida Callada" with Clara SanabrasFrida Kahlo, Clara Sanabras5:04
8"Hayati Inta Reprise (Hayatak Ana)"Atlas, Brough, Marc Eagleton6:26
9"El Asil"Emam ElSaftalli, Aly Ismael2:03
10"Lammebada"Traditional7:10
11"He Hesitated"Atlas, Brough, Eagleton4:19
12"El Nowm"Atlas, Brough5:45