Ya Bay (Music review), Arabic – Hayajan

Ya 7weneh is a superb start to the album; Wardi sings in true Coldplay style, including a catchy falsetto piece, even as the electric guitars kick in taking the track to a new high! Wel loom ramani seems to have just one phrase for lyrics but has a captivating tune that, around 2:20 takes on a mesmerizing Ilayaraja-style instrumental section! Safina could well give Pritam a run for his money – very similar in construction, with a superb instrumental finale! Fish majal sees Wardi acing the vocals, with Odai and Mohammed kicking up a storm with the guitar, while Weel el-kalam is almost U2′ish with the haunting guitar traveling all through the tune, taking on soaring note in sync with Wardi’s vocals. Risala‘s desolate tune comes across beautifully in Wardi’s vocals and the sparse arrangements, while Ween min eSneen mimics Pakistani pop music with a middling tune. Wyama is very Coldplay’ish too, with occasional interludes that border on carnatic phrases! Hayajan’s Arabic covers of Radiohead’s Nude and Pink Floyd’s Comfortably numb are wonderfully interesting variants of the two familiar, popular tracks! Ya Bay paints a sparkling and immensely likeable soundscape that not knowing the language hardly seems like an issue!

Keywords: Alaa Wardi, Ya Bay, Hayajan, Odai Shawagfeh, Mohammed Idrei, Amjad Shahrour, Hakam Abu Soud, #200, 200

Note: Hayajan has made their debut album available (in their flavors page) on iTunes as well as free… (yes, free!), besides a ‘Pay what you want’ option.