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Ya Nass

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ya Nass
Studio album by
Released2013
GenresElectronic, pop
Length45:56
LabelKwaidan / Crammed Discs
ProducerMarc Collin
Yasmine Hamdan chronology
Arabology
(2009)
Ya Nass
(2013)
Al Jamilat
(2017)

Ya Nass is the debut solo album by the Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan, previously a member of the band Soap Kills and one half of the duo Y.A.S. The album was originally given a limited release, in France and Lebanon, on the French Kwaidan label in 2012, under the title Yasmine Hamdan. It was released internationally by Crammed Discs in April 2013, under the title Ya Nass, featuring five new songs. It was produced by Marc Collin, best known for his new wave covers project Nouvelle Vague.

Overview

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The album's title translates from Arabic as "Hey People".[1] Hamdan has described the album as being influenced by the Arab Spring uprisings of 2010, "Ya Nass is a like an invitation, a call to a single person or a crowd ... It could be an echo of the movements that are taking place in the Arab world."[2] She added, "At first when the revolutions started I felt very stimulated and free, I felt that the youth had at last begun to have a voice. But I also know that these things take time and that the situation in the region is complicated."[2]

The album features a mixture of original compositions and reworkings of older songs from the 1930s and 1940s, including songs by the Egyptian composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab and the singer Leila Mourad.[3] It also includes the song "Hal", which Hamdan performs in the vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), directed by Jim Jarmusch.[2] Hamdan wrote the song for the film; the lyrics concern a woman who complains about "a vampirising love affair".[2]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The GuardianStarStarStarStar[4]
Les InrockuptiblesStarStarStarHalf star[5]
NPR(favourable)[1]
The ObserverStarStarStarStar[6]
PopMattersStarStarStarStarStarStar[7]
Télérama(favourable)[8]

The album received generally positive reviews. The Guardian wrote, "She has a sultry, seductive voice and gift for melody that is reminiscent of Souad Massi, and her best songs rely on acoustic guitar rather than the swirling synths."[4] NPR's reviewer described Hamdan as "one of the most free-thinking and inventive artists singing in Arabic today," and said of the album that it "is full of ... subtle references to the past, but you don't need to understand them to appreciate the songs."[1]

Track listing

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Track listing

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All tracks are written by Yasmine Hamdan and Marc Collin, except where noted.

Yasmine Hamdan - 1st Issue by Kwaidan Records
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."In Kan Fouadi" 
2."Beirut"Omar el Zenni
  • Collin
 
3."Samar" Collin 
4."Baaden"
  • Hamdan
  • Collin
  • Juna Suleiman
Collin 
5."Ya Nass"
  • Hamdan
  • Collin
  • Traditional
Collin 
6."Irss"
  • Hamdan
  • Collin
  • Traditional
Collin 
7."Nediya"
  • Hamdan
  • Collin
  • Traditional
Collin 
8."Nag"
  • Hamdan
  • Collin
  • Kevin Seddiki
Collin 
9."Shouei"
Collin 
10."La Mouch"
  • Collin
 
11."Bala Tantanat"
  • Hamdan
  • Seddiki
  • El Zenni
Collin 
12."Zarani" (pre-order only) Collin 
13."Khalass" (pre-order only) Collin 

All tracks are written by Yasmine Hamdan and Marc Collin, except where noted.

Ya Nass - 2nd Issue by Crammed Discs
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Deny"  
2."Shouei"
Collin 
3."Samar" Collin 
4."Enta Fen, Again"
  • Hamdan
Gael Rakotondrabe 
5."La Mouch"
  • Collin
 
6."Nediya"
  • Hamdan
  • Collin
  • Traditional
Collin 
7."Beirut"Omar el Zenni
  • Collin
 
8."Aleb"
  • Hamdan
  • Collin
  • Kevin Seddiki
Collin 
9."Bala Tantanat"
  • Hamdan
  • Seddiki
  • El Zenni
Collin 
10."In Kan Fouadi"
  • Collin
  • Hamdan
 
11."Hal"HamdanHamdan 
12."Khayam" Collin 
13."Ya Nass"
  • Hamdan
  • Collin
  • Traditional
Collin 
14."Zarani" (pre-order only) Collin 
15."Khalass" (pre-order only) Collin 

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Eyre, Banning (28 April 2014). "Album Review: 'Ya Nass'". NPR. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Saad, Shirine (3 August 2013). "Childhood wanderings influence Yasmine Hamdan's third album". The National. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  3. Haider, Arwa (28 May 2013). "Yasmine Hamdan: My musical epiphany was in a club at 4am when the DJ played an Arabic song". Metro. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 Denselow, Robin (23 May 2013). "Yasmine Hamdan: Ya Nass – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  5. Larrède, Christian (1 July 2013). "Yasmine Hamdan, folk-pop ondoyante". Les Inrockuptibles (in French). Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  6. Spencer, Neil (19 May 2013). "Yasmine Hamdan: Ya Nass – review". The Observer. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  7. Sole, Deanne (2 June 2014). "Yasmine Hamdan: Ya Nass". PopMatters. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  8. Berthod, Anne (10 June 2013). "Yasmine Hamdan: Ya Nass". Télérama (in French). Retrieved 25 March 2016.