After almost a year-and-a-half, Khaled Aggag has finally released a new album. Wahdani (All by Myself) follows the hugely successful W'allah Wala Dam'a (Not a Single Tear), arguably his best yet.
The title track "Wahdani" lives up to listeners' expectations, with good lyrics and enjoyable music. Much like his previous release, "Ta'alali" (Come To Me), which relied on drums to set the beat, "Wahdani" does the same, only with horns rather than drums.
The song also has "hit" written all over it, but that's where the similarities between the albums end.
Wahdani features a newer look for Aggag, but the release is a far cry from his previous smashes. All the songs, with the exception of the title track, seem to flow into each other, making the album monotonous.
Only the 1950s/1960s-style "Leh Ya Layali" (Cruel Nights) and the touching "Aletly Khalas" (She Told Me It's Over) on side B break the monotony. But given the album's mediocrity, there's a good chance listeners won't get that far.
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
