by Kurt KeefnerIt is an intriguing idea: Take a Middle Eastern ensemble and add an accordion. Now, it's going to have to be a special type of accordion, because Arabic music uses quarter tones (which are notes between the notes of the standard Western scales). And you're going to need a fiendishly good accordionist to manage this burden. Fortunately, such a musician was found in Mohsen Allaam, who, like Hossam Ramzy, was born in Cairo. Besides his sheer talent, Allaam has another grace, too: His presence causes Ramzy to somewhat tone down the synths, super-fast pace, and cheesy strings that can sometimes make his music sound hokey -- like mere belly dancing music for the Western market. The music is still mostly quite fast and suitable for dancing; it's just a lot more tasteful. Once pleasant midtempo number, "Ammoura," starts with an oud (lute) and synth laying down a beat. Then the accordion enters with an intricate melody and little dramatic flourishes, issuing amazing little stuttering trills. This piece, like all the others, is an instrumental. The best track on the disc is probably the second, "Habibi Baladi, We Zay El Amar," which is dominated by the accordion. The worst track is undoubtedly the last, which is filled with obnoxious synth riffs. Definitely a disc for Ramzy fans and fans of the accordion.