"A Wish".. Odyssey to Homeland

"A Wish" (1999) album by Hamza El Din is one of the most magnificent World Music albums internationally. El Din is a Nubian Egyptian artist who toured the world with a lute and his lost land's heritage.

Furthermore, his family was one of the families who migrated from Nuba after the construction of the High Dam in Aswan.

"A Wish" was his final album. The listener can observe the moral of El Din's life journey in the combination of the songs.

The music of the album is a combination of various genres such as folk, and jazz. He also employed the significant Nubian female voice to recall the harmony of his lost home.

"Sunset," and "Samai Husaini" are breathtaking instrumental songs. Both are performed by the lute. In "Sunset," El Din recalls the memories of the running Nile, the days of isolation on a strange land, the breeze of the sea, and the shining sun rays on the surface of the Nile.

It presents an episodic structure. Every part of the song describes a phase of his personal life. Regarding "Samai Husaini," it is a monologue dedicated to his birth-village.

There is an amusing sense of nostalgia and isolation scripted in form of wonderful lute tunes.

"Griffin 2" is another wonderful Arabized Nubian song. It depicts the same technique Mohamed Mounir follows in Arabizing folk Nubian songs.

"Nagrishad" is a spiritual and mystic song dedicated to the prophet Mohamed. It is closer to "Al Madeeh," but it is presented in a Nubian mood.

It reflects the tendencies of El Din's mystic path. He is always a traveler who has no place to belong after losing his home.

These feelings of identity-loss, detachment, and continuous traveling affect his feelings and lead him to follow this mystic path.

During one of his interviews, El Din mentioned that "God" is the main source of his music that is why it depicts deep spiritual senses.

The final song of the album is entitled "A Wish." This is one is an extraordinary song. It is performed in the Nubian language. It exposes the real El Din who suffers from nonstop travel, pain, detachment, and isolation.

The song may portray him walking on the shore and his feet touching the warm sand. It is composed of a genius riff enhanced with jazz tunes.

The final part of the song carries the rise of magical key tunes as if they reflect the call of his end as if he waves farewell to music, people around him, and his listeners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo7COeLXxHk