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Since her last album release in 2000, Omeima El Khalil’s music has had a makeover. And it’s worked wonders. Renowned in the Eighties and Nineties for her powerful vocals and songs based around long intros and classical Arabic riffs, the artist’s new album is modern, surprising and very good. The first song, “Ouhibbouka Akhtar” (I Love You More), is an a cappella declaration of passion, and the second track “Ya Helou” (Handsome Guy) fuses salsa rhythms with Arabic lyrics. Latin beats heat up five other tracks, while she sticks to traditional Egyptian stylings on songs like “Ya Sidi.”

Key Tracks: “Ya Sidi,” “Leh?,” “Ya Helou”

By Sara Hamdan