Sagol 59 & Ami Yares - Friend of the Devil

There's always been something quite magical about The Grateful Dead and this tribute album shows just how universal their magic is. The album features songs by Dead carefully translated by Chen Rotem, a.k.a Sagol 59, one of Israel's leading hip-hop artists. Sagol collaborated on the album with folk singer Ami Yares for a truly heartwarming result. I love how Rotem decided to localize the lyrics, thus turning Reno into Eilat, Chino into Ramle, Anne Marie into Hannaleh and much more. More info about the translation process can be found here. The two year project was authorized by the band's publishing company and completed just in time to celebrate The Grateful Dead's 50th anniversary. A perfect soundtrack to car trips, preferably on dreamy weekends across the country.

Original lyrics:

I lit up from Reno
I was trailed by twenty hounds
Didn't get to sleep that night
Till the morning came around

I set out running but I'll take my time
A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight
I just might get some sleep tonight

I ran into the Devil, babe
He loaned me twenty bills
I spent that night in Utah
In a cave up in the hills

I set out running but I take my time
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight
I just might get some sleep tonight

I ran down to the levee
But the Devil caught me there
He took my twenty dollar bill
And he vanished in the air

I set out running but I take my time
A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight
I just might get some sleep tonight

Got two reasons why I cry
Away each lonely night
The first one's named sweet Anne Marie
And she's my heart's delight
Second one is prison, baby
The sheriff's on my trail
And if he catches up with me
I'll spend my life in jail

Got a wife in Chino, babe
And one in Cherokee
First one says she's got my child
But it don't look like me

I set out running but I take my time
A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight
I just might get some sleep tonight

Got two reasons why I cry
Away each lonely night
The first one's named sweet Anne Marie
And she's my heart's delight
Second one is prison, baby
The sheriff's on my trail
And if he catches up with me
I'll spend my life in jail

Got a wife in Chino, babe
The one in Cherokee
The first one says she's got my child
But it don't look like me

I set out running but I take my time
A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight
I just might get some sleep tonight

Noa Babayof - Blue Bound

What a beautiful song. Perfect for these precious days of Spring when the weather isn't too hot and anything is possible. I remember coming across a review of Babayof's debut album quite a few years ago and being so enchanted by the cover art and later by the music itself. I can safely say that the album is still very enjoyable today though I'm more in the mood for her newer material, which has a richer sound to it. So happy that she reached her goal on Headstart and soon we'll be hearing a lot more from her. Take a peek into her lovely inner world with this mixtape which she made for Columbus.

https://www.facebook.com/noababayof

A-WA - Habib Galbi

It's the second holiday of Passover and I feel a bit disoriented. Today was a Friday though because of the holiday it felt like a Saturday-and tomorrow it's another Saturday though I'm guessing that with all of the Mimouna festivities it'll feel like a Friday. What better way to celebrate the Mimouna (other than looking at amusing pics of awkward politicians the next day) than with A WA? I know that the first is Moroccan and the second is Yemen but they both celebrate ethnic traditions which aren't always given a stage, and they're both perfect for the festive spring atmosphere.
I love how A WA isn't just a new take on traditional Yemenite music-they're a new take on traditional Yemenite music sung by women and they do so in an empowering yet subtle way. I really don't remember the last time I saw a group of women so harmonized on stage-what really adds charm is that there seems to be no ego struggle between the sisters and you can really tell that they're taking their mission of reviving women's Yemenite music quite seriously. The music may be light but the songs they are singing were sung by Yemenite women who didn't know how to read or write and singing was their only way to express their everyday distress. The songs were passed from generation to generation with each woman adding her own individual mark. This song is one of those and it was first recorded by Shlomo Moga'a in the early 60s, when the Yemenite Jews came to Israel. Zion Golan later made it famous with his version in the mid 80s and it's quite fascinating to compare both earlier versions with A WA's refreshing take on it, produced by Tomer Yosef of Balkan Beat Box. If you can't get enough of the sisters check out excellent footage from their single launch last week-it's not an exaggeration to say that they're one of the best acts in town and they're just getting better. Chag Sameach!

Love of my heart, my eyes
It is a wonder who has set you against me
He dared to eat but not be satisfied

And as the dawn rose
My love got upset and left running
My love got upset, o' people!, and I am left unknowing

Love my of heart, my eyes...

My love has made my eyes cry
He rose and left me
And there is no other love like him

Love of my heart, my eyes...

Love of my heart, my eyes
A year and a half has passed and he has not returned to me
O' people, he has left and driven me mad

Love of my heart, my eyes...

To whom can I bemoan that will understand me?
To whom can I cry that wil pity me?
Which of you will help me?

Love of my heart, my eyes...

Full Trunk - Time For Us To Move

Yes.