These songs hail mainly from N.Africa and share their Arabic language roots with their African hertiage. It's a really good introduction to some phenomenal artists of the region (my favorites are Amr Diab and Natacha Atlas). It might inspire you to take up bellydancing (or, if you are lazy, tap your feet while sitting around). I've had it for a while but I'm still not tired of it.

Standout songs: Moi et toi, galbi, leiley, amarain, mani, kidda

i really liked this album and if anyone had the lyrics for "Hely Meli" and "Intil Waheeda" can you please email me?

Post 9/11, everything Arabic and Middle Easterm seemed mysterious and interesting. Where is a better place to start than music.

You're gonna love this CD compilation. It's darn sexy! Tract #8 by Natacha Atlas is mesmerizing. What exactly is she singing about? Probably something beautiful and sensous, cause that's what it sounds like to me. Her voice is an aphrodisiac. Dania Khatib's "Leily" (tract #3) is just as beguiling, sad and absorbing. Amr Diab and Abdel Ali Slimadi also have unforgetable voices. The singing seems to be more about the words and the meaning they carry, and you can feel the passion in their voices. There's a lot of drums, flutes and guitars traditionally played but also have some techno pop synthesizer mixed in to give it an exciting, exotic pulse. And the best thing about owning this and other Putumayo World Music CD is the gorgeous art cover and the inserts telling you a little something about the music and the artist. If you are looking for an introduction to Arabic Music, this is a good start.

A veritable Middle Eastern sonic orgy with a lot of jazzy poppy rappy western tidbits thrown in for good measure. Probably the best Putumayo CD out there, Arabic Groove is just that. It's damn groovy. And best thing, it's just as Arabic as it is groovy. Sometimes these crossover efforts get so saturated in musical westernisms and pounding bass that there's no evidence of their exotic roots anywhere within earshot. Here's where Putumayo has nailed it: right mix of bass with bellydance, visceral arabic vocals with trendy rapping, and ouds and gasbahs (traditional guitars and flutes) living happily alongside electronic bleeps. I usually don't go for Putumayo, it being a bit too soft-core for my world music tastes, but this compilation comes with a good recommendation.
Interested in more of this incredibly funky Arab groove? The compilation "Indestructible Arabian Beats" by Manteca is a brilliant (yet little known) album, totally beat driven and a bit edgier than Putumayo.
Want to dig deeper still? Check out The Rough Guide to Arabesque, marvellous but a bit more hard core, with amazing arab electronica from Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects and the best rap that side of the Bronx from Clotaire K.

This is a fun, funky, totally danceable CD. I love it and have had it in my CD player since it arrived. Some of the tunes I was already familiar with, such as Amr Diab's Amarain, and Natacha Atlas' Kidda. There are artists here that are new to me, and I'm looking forward to discovering their releases. My favorite tracks on Arabic Groove are Galbi, which has a driving back beat and a hip hop feel, and Heli Meli, a song that incorporates traditional rhythms and instruments, as well as some traditional sounding backing vocals by female singers.

The packaging is great, with photos, lengthy bios and descriptions of the songs. These things, along with some English translation of the lyrics, help me to decide if a piece is appropriate to bellydance to.

While this CD can skip from one track to the next just like a regular CD, when played straight through, there are no breaks because each song flows into the one following. It's perfect party music, put it in the player and let it go, and the dancing doesn't have to stop.