Sherifa Fadel | Dour Dour (Soutelphan, 1974)

 

Sherifa Fadel is hardly an obscure Egyptian singer, but this 1974 single has, for whatever reason, not yet been offered for sale on Discogs. And it's the very definition of a one-two punch.

Born Tawfika Ahmed Nada, Fadel's grandfather was Sheikh Ahmed Nada, known according to the Arab Tunes blog as "an important Koranic player to whom we owe the modern religious acting style."

The music here, as you'll hear soon enough, straddles a somewhat gray area between more traditional Arabic song and quote unquote Western pop. Side A swings into immediate action with a shot of percussion followed by some jangly, surf-y guitar strumming. Cue in strings and organ. Fadel launches into some vocal pyrotechnics that will have you sitting upright -- and if you listen closely, you'll hear a schmear of saxophone immediately following her gobsmacking opening parry.

(Listen to "Dour Dour")

In Side B's "Ah Minel Sabr," ("Oh Impatience," according to Google translate), the saxophone plays a more prominent, dangerously yackety sax role before Fadel swoops in to clean up the floor with everyone. 

(Listen to "Ah Minel Sabr")