Lebanese composer and music producer Zeid Hamdan is behind some of the country’s biggest regional and alternative bands. “Balekeh” is a song from 2011 performed by his band, Zeid and the Wings, from their album Aasfeh. Here, he takes the already soothing pop tune down just a perfect soulful notch with the acoustic version—”with a few ghosts on back vocals.” Beautifully saccharine, the music video for the original implies it’s a song about the challenges of a modern breakup in an era of digital connectivity.
L’Orchestre National de Mauritanie: Senam-Mosso