Fairuz | Bi Layl We Chiti

I would be very surprised if many of the regular visitors to the ol' Bodega had never heard of Fairuz. She is, after all, the single most famous Arabic singer alive. This CD, released in 1989, is one of the oldest in my collection and is relatively late in the singer's career, which began in the 1950s.

Born as Nouhad Wadi Haddad in 1935 in Jabal al Arz, Lebanon, Fairuz is nothing short of a legend. And this, for reasons that will be clear when you take a listen, is considered one of her greatest albums.

I picked this up a year ago or so on Steinway Street in Astoria (Queens) at the Nile Deli. Speaking of which: I plan on spending at least one of the three days of the upcoming holiday weekend walking over to Steinway; if you want to come along, feel free to write to me.

Listen to the first track of this 4-song CD

Get it all here.