When I was living on South Tenth Street (above the folks who played Latin dance music), I started sending away for records and tapes. My favorite company stocked music from all over the world. Before long, I had a small stack of cassettes by Lebanese singer Fairuz - pop material for certain, but good.
Her voice has been celebrated and described many times over, but it's impossible to capture her sound - and the feelings she evokes - in words. Also, for many Lebanese, Fairuz's work symbolizes the hope of a new country, and new life.
This song, Chat Iskandaria, is a nostalgic evocation of Alexandria, Egypt - not the city that exists now, but pre-WWII.
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