Leih Sebtaha

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Leih Sebtaha (Why Did You Left Her)
Studio album by Angham
Released Flag of Egypt 2001
Recorded 1999–2001
Genre Arabic pop, Arabic classic, techno, ballad
Label Alam elPhan
Producer Alam elPhan (Producer), Mohsen Gaber, Ali elMaleegi, Bassam Awwad, Hassan elZakem (Executive producers)
Professional reviews
Angham chronology
Wahdaniya
(1999)
Leih Sebtaha
(2001)
Omry Maak
(2003)
Singles from between 1999-2001
  1. "Li Soual ft Abdallah Rweished"
  2. "Nehlam Eih? ft Thekra"

Leih Sebtaha (Why Did You Left Her) is the fifteenth full-length Arabic studio album from Egyptian pop singer Angham, launched in Egypt in 2001 (see 2001 in music) by Alam elPhan Production Company. The record comprises ballads primarily co-written by Angham and Bahaa elDeen Mohammad - with whom she had previously worked on "Betheb Meen" (Who Do You Love) (1997) - and a few urban and oriental dance tracks. Half of the entire tracks in this record was musically composed by Sheriff Tagg. Lead track "Sidi Wisalak" (Your Charm) became Angham's most successful single in her singing career, and also at the time of its release when it topped the Middle East singles charts, and "Magabash Serty" (Did He Mention Me) became her second to reach number one in Egypt and Kuweit. Angham was nominated for "Best Female Artist" for "Leih Sebtaha" record at the 2001 Cairo Music Awards. It remains Angham's most successful record to date, alongside the following record "Omry Maak" (My Life With You), selling more than 2.2 million copies worldwide. It was this record in particular that made Angham more popular across the Middle East.

Contents

[edit] Album information

"Leih Sebtaha" record was the result of two years of hard work and recording. Angham collaborated with the same composers and lyricists who worked on "Betheb Meen" record. However, she kept her same style of songs like in the previous years, improving the tracks' arrangements only. It was the fact that she collaborated with a new team of arrangists, mostly young ones, contributed in making the songs more modern and reachable to the public. Angham said that this record is not her favourite one, and later on, revealed that "Bahibbik Wahashteeny" (I Love You, I Miss You) record was the closest to her heart because it explained who she is as a human being. The recording and mixage of the tracks were done by a complex team composed of Ameen Akef, Nash'at, Sameh elMazni, and Mohammad Saker. The photographer is Mohammad Abdel Sammeea who presented Angham in a new and liberative woman, and introduced her to the arts of CD covers. Angham worked alongside executive producers Ali El Maleegi, Bassam Awwad, and Hassan elZakem to be able to buy a wider variety of songs, and later on pick the best for the record. Magabsh Serty is the last song that Angham worked on with music composer, Riyad elHamshari, who died in 2007. He previously worked with Angham in two successful tracks from "Wahadaniya" (Lonely Woman) record: "Baatly Nazra" (Send Me A Glance) and "Bethebbaha Walla" (Do You Love Her Or What).

Angham recalls how she was excited to record "Magabsh Serty" (Did He Mention Me) song, which was the first track to be recorded and inserted in the record. The quick-tempo urban track features gossips murmurs effect on the tape version, while it does not contain it on the CD. On the other hand, "Leih Sebtaha" instrumental is only available on the CD version. It is the second song to have an instrumental after "Wahadaniya" (Lonely Woman) in 1999, and the last one because Angham found it a useless idea. Because of its popularity, "Sidi Wisalak" was remixed twice by DJ Mufti and DJ Ali, but however the two remixes were released as singles on the Internet, after two years, due to copyrights restriction. The same song was featured in "Sahar elLayali" (Sleepless Nights) movie which was nominated as Best Foreign Film in Oscar Awards in 2003. "Ana Indak" (I'm At Your Place) features a telephone voice message in the interlude of the track. Angham said she got inspired by this idea when she tried to call someone on her cellphone during a pause between the recordings and got an answer machine back. She communicated the concept with arrangist, Tarek Madkour, who applied the effect instantly. "Tedhak Alaya" (You Laugh At Me) is the first Gulf song sung by a non-Gulf singer that stood for more than three months in Kuwait, Dubai and UAE charts.

[edit] Promotion

The main concert that Angham performed in was at Layali Dubai (Nights of Dubai) international concerts in 2001. She also sang at Layali el Television (Nights of Television) where she met the audience for the first time after the record's stability in the charts. An emotional Angham stood speechless when the crowd sang "Sidi Wisalak" instead of her, a phenomenon that surprised Angham who was not used, in her previous records, for an acclamation like this. The firm position of "Leih Sebtaha" on top of the charts caused conflicts between Angham and few Egyptian singers who were driven by jealousy over the record's phenomenal success. The press tackled shortly a violent feud between Angham and Sherine Wagdy, and later on between Angham and Amal Maher. Both fellow artists presented their excuse to Angham and both issues terminated peacefully.

[edit] Music video

Angham only filmed "Sidi Wisalak" (Your Charm) as a music video, despite failed plans to film "Magabsh Serty" and "Rahet Layali". The music video was released two weeksp prior to the record's official release in the music markets. It was directed by Ahmad elMahdy, who constructed efficiently a new identity for Angham, in which she will use it for the many years that follows. The successful collaboration between elMahdy and Angham encouraged the team to work on future music videos such as "Omry Maak" (My Life With You) in 2003 and "Kolma N'arrab" (Closer) in 2007. In the music video, Angham appeared in a very short hair and a new wardrobe, blending in a scenario that features a romantic and mystic encounter with a man she fell in love with at the metro, and desperately seeks to meet him again by stealing one of his shirt's button that fell down during a trip in the train. However, the press unjustly desipected the music video "as too provoking", but later on excused Angham and classified it as "non harmful", when they finally compared it upon the emerge of new sexual-themed and provocative music videos in the early 2003 along with the apparition of Lebanese performer, Haifa Wehbe. "Sidi Wisalak" music video won "Best Music Video" in 2001 at the Cairo Music Awards. The award was officially handed to Angham by Egyptian minister of information, Safwat al-Sharif.

[edit] Track listing

  1. Sidi Wisalak (Your Charm) (Lyrics by: Ezzat elGendy | Music composed by: Sheriff Tagg | Music arrangements by: Tarek Akef)
  2. Leih Sebtaha (Why Did You Left Her) (Lyrics by: Baha' elDeen Mohammad | Music composed by: Sheriff Tagg | Music arrangements by: Tarek Madkour)
  3. Rahet Layali (Nights Have Gone) (Lyrics by: Mohammad elRifai | Music composed by: Sheriff Tagg | Music arrangements by: Yahya elMougi)
  4. Magabsh Serty (Did He Mention Me) (Lyrics by: Ayman Bahgat Amar | Music composed by: Riyad elHamshari | Music arrangements by: Tarek Akef)
  5. Leih Sebtaha (instrumental) (Why Did You Left Her) Lyrics by: Baha' elDeen Mohammad | Music composed by: Sheriff Tagg | Music arrangements by: Tarek Madkour)
  6. Tedhak Alaya (You Laugh At Me) (Lyrics by: Saoud elSharabtli | Music composed by: elFaissal | Music arrangements by: Mahmoud Sadek)
  7. Noujoum elLeil (Stars Of the Night) (Lyrics by: Wael Helal | Music composed by: Ameer Abdel Majeed | Music arrangements by: Ashraf Mahrous)
  8. Habbeitak Leih (Why Did I Even Love You) (Lyrics by: Nader Abdallah | Music composed by: Sheriff Tagg | Music arrangements by: Ashraf Mahrous)
  9. Hayran (Confused) (Lyrics by: Naser Rashwan | Music composed by: Ameer Abdel Majeed | Music arrangements by: Hisham Niyaz)
  10. Ana Indak (I'm At Your Place) (Lyrics by: Bahaa elDeen Mohammad | Music composed by: Sheriff Tagg | Music arrangements by: Tarek Madkour)

[edit] Charts

No information