Egyptian pop star Amr Diab has released a new album entitled Sahran (I’m awake). The themes are love, life and heartbreak.
The music is Arabic pop mixed with Tarab. It’s a contemporary sound with parallels to Amr Diab’s earlier albums. The composition of the songs is well-structured and flows naturally. The song Gamda Bas (Just Cold) parallels similar to other classics, such as Nour Al-Ain (The Light of My Eyes) and Ragaeen (We’re Coming Back). Sahran also has a style parallel to his older works with tunes such as Habibi (My Love) and Dehket Ayoun Habibi (My Lover’s Eyes are happy). Those are some examples of which I can think. The lute and other magnificent Middle Eastern instruments have a presence throughout the album. Incredible composers include Amr Diab and Amr Mostafa.
Amr Diab’s voice is incredible throughout this album. As always, he sings from the heart with authenticity. He has a sweet duet with his daughter Jana Diab in the song Gamila (Beautiful). Jana Diab sings her parts in English beautifully. Amr Diab has a fantastic variety of rhythm in his voice.
The lyrics are rich in poetry and subject matter. There’s a lovely simplicity that shows how one expresses oneself quite a lot by saying very little. The saying goes, “a little goes a long way” applies in this context. There are well-thought-out metaphors to represent love or heartbreak, depending on the song. The repetition emphasizes an emotion, specific to the tune. The words are well-written and layered with meaning. The subject of love is timeless, and something Amr Diab honours in the lyrics of each song.
My favourite songs are Sahran, Gamila (a duet with Jana Diab), Helwa El Bedayat (Beautiful Beginnings), and Bahebo (I love her).
Amr Diab’s latest video
