The Mirrors of My Soul

1. Mirrors of My Soul

2. Carmel of My Soul

3. Malek

4. Ya Jammal

5. Masha'al

6. Sarah

7. Moon Glowed

8. Top of the Mountain

9. Fares Odeh

10. Grandma with a Limp

11. Voice, The Fragrance and the Figure

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist
Palestinian singer/songwriter Rim Bannaâ€™s first introduction to an American audience came with the critically acclaimed 2004 Valley Entertainment release, Lullabies from the Axis of Evil. She performed two songs on the CD: the traditional â€œYa Lel Ma Atwalk (This Never Ending Night)â€ with Norwegian Kari Bremnes and her own composition, â€œNami Ya Laâ€™ Aubi (Sleep My Doll)â€ with Danish songstress Annisette.

When approached by Lullabies producer, Erik Hillestad, Banna jumped at the opportunity to contribute to this project. "For me it is an answer to Mr. President Bush," she says. "It is an opportunity to say, 'Listen to these voices, these women.' The lullabies are a mirror of the cultures and they can be a bridge between cultures."

She quickly became the spokeswoman with International press for the project along with Rickie Lee Jones, Iraqi Halla Bassam and Irani sisters Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat.

Banna embraces her heritage and her land in her songs, but also the political climate and the struggle and hopes of the Palestinian people.

She has participated in many national and political events including the Landâ€™s Day Festivals. She equally presents Palestinian folk songs as she does modern works that represent her land. These modern Palestinian Arabic songs have been received with much enthusiasm in the Arab world and international community.

Banna was born in Nazareth and started her musical career early, as many American children, singing at home and in school activities.

She moved to Moscow in her late teens and studied music and voice in the High Institute for Music (GNESINS) under the tutorship of the well-renowned composer Vladimir Karobka. After graduation she married artist Leonid Alexeienko and produced two albums of her live concerts: Jafra and Your Tears, Mother.

Banna has also produced a collection of childrenâ€™s songs of which she wrote. With the success of this collection she performed at numerous events including Ramallahâ€™s Nuwar Nisan Festival, Bethlehemâ€™s Summer Festival and festivals in Lesser Bairam including Christmas Festival and Ramadan Festival.

Banna and Alexeinko have continued to write, produce and perform music that represents the children, the environment, the culture and the folklore of Palestine.

Product Description
With The Mirrors of My Soul, Banna makes her international debut as a solo artist. Recorded and produced in Oslo by Erik Hillestad with Norwegian musicians Gjermund Silset (bass), David WallumrÃ¸d (keyboards), Rune Arnesen (drums) and Eivind Aarset (guitar), The Mirrors of My Soul is a collection of powerful, gripping songs about the hopes and tragedies of the Palestinian people. They include stories of children who have become martyrs in the Palestinian struggle for liberation, stories of sons jailed in Israeli prisons without ever being convicted by any court, stories of living in exile after being robbed of house and home as well as Palestinian folk songs. All the songs are performed in Arabic and many were composed by Banna and her husband, guitarist Leonid Alexeinco with lyrics written by Bannaâ€™s mother.

Tracks:

The Mirrors Of My Soul
The Carmel Of My Soul
Malek
Ya Jammal
Masha'al
Sarah
The Moon Glowed
The Top Of The Mountain
Fares Odeh
The Grandma With A Limp
The Voice, The Fragrance And The Figure

Product Description

1. The Mirrors of My Soul
2. The Carmel of My Soul
3. Malek
4. Ya Jammal
5. Masha'al
6. Sarah
7. The Moon Glowed
8. The Top of the Mountain
9. Fares Odeh
10. The Grandma with a Limp
11. The Voice, the Fragrance and the Figure

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

Palestinian Folk Songs (touhasirouni miraya rouh).......2005-11-30

This is a very beautiful but EXTREMELY sad and emotional album. About half the songs are Rim Banna's interpretations of indigenous Palestinian folk songs, and the rest are beautiful blue-z aciddy jazzy compositions with lyrics by leading Palestinian poets. The only thing traditional about the songs are the lyrics, because the music is indicative of Tori Amos' later works like Scarlet's Walk or The Beekeeper, and if there is any traditional music it is drowned out such as in Lah el Gamar, but that doesn't mean this cd isn't beautiful. My favorite song, and the saddest song, is Fares Odeh, about a Palestinian boy who was hit by an Israeli shell, and who's soul gets collected by a prior Martyr, a gazelle, and a butterfly, but the boy's last request is for these collectors to take him to the courtyard of his house, to his bed; "khouzni ilal ssahni dari, khouzni ila firashel nawmi." There is another song about a child dying at the hands of Israeli soldiers, and even though the child is younger (sixteen months), i find Fares Odeh to be sadder because that tragedy was expressed through beautiful metaphor, while 'Sarah,' the name of the other child-death song, is basically a description of what happened to her; which is still VERY tragic. The upbeat tracks tend to be the ones that are interpretations of Palestinian folk songs, like Ma'shaal, Lah el Gamar, and Sitti Arjaa, which doesn't really distract from the overwhelming emotional overtones of this cd. The only songs I could confidently describe as light-hearted are Malek and Faw'(q) el-jebel. But brace yourself for some tears and kleenex, especially if you understand the lyrics first hand...