The Desert Lounge" And Other Stereotypical Arabic Music

I thought about going to YouTube and typing "Arabic Music" to see what's the first video that comes up for that search. I have included it below, a video with 3,200,000 views. A mix of Arabic music that seems to be popular outside Arabia....Desert lounge, camels, the lute and there you have it.

The picture has the track list, nothing most Arabs would know. The music is the show, not the lyrics. Yes, they make certain sounds to remind you that you are not alone. But this is a really well put together album. And it seems to have sold thousands and thousands of copies at the Virgin  store.

I think the music sounds a bit like the older more classical Arabic music, but they tweak it so much, that the original composer might have a hard time recognizing it. I think fusion is good, it can come up with some good music that reaches out to broader audience. Not everyone in this county, would embrace Abdel Wahab music, but if you rework it just a little bit, it might become something that fits the Western taste.

To sum, CDs like "The Desert Lounge" are part of a place where we have two kinds of Arabic music, one we like and listen to as Arabs and another where we tell people we like this music.
Arabic Music "The Desert Lounge I°"