Halawella by Maryam Saleh & Zeid Hamdan

Maryam Saleh and Zeid Hamdan's album (Halawella) is a rough manipulation of the usual patterns that can occasionally border on sarcasm. Maryam, with her sharp, bold voice, gives new life to the songs surpassing the meaning behind the lyrics and creating an ironic paradox that pulls the listeners in and forces them try to decipher the direct meaning and what is hidden behind it. On the other hand, Zeid leaves no room for predictable compositions. He delves into musical heritage and comes up with a surprising modern interpretation or creates a dramatic melody fitting with Maryam's performance.

Halawella album comprises 10 songs; half of which are inspired by the oeuvre of the salient duo Sheikh Imam and Ahmed Fouad Negm; pioneers of the sarcastic political music genre in the 1970's. Their folkloric songs were characterized by a sense of sarcasm. Maryam Saleh has been doing covers for their songs since 2005. In Halawella, Maryam brilliantly performs the songs in an interpretive manner where her voice is mixed with Zeid's electronic, trip, hip-hop, and new age music.