Hossam Ramzy
returns with this set of mostly
traditional
wedding music
, played at a jaunty clip and intended for
belly dancing
. Although here a CD, according to the notes this is actually the
soundtrack
to a DVD illustrating the dancing, although musically it stands well alone. Leading eight other musicians,
Ramzy
is a bit of a powerhouse here, although he never overwhelms the other musicians and singers. There's a lovely brisk energy to the performances, especially vocalists
Yasmin Saied
and
Mostaffa Abdalla
, but even so it ends up feeling a little bit by-the-numbers, with the players sailing through it all without any big investment of emotion. ~ Chris Nickson