| 1 | Ja'afar Hassan – | They Taught Me | 3:03 | |
| 2 | Unknown Artist – | Segue Bezikh | 0:38 | |
| 3 | Unknown Artist – | Oh Mother, The Handsome Man Tortures Me | 3:07 | |
| 4 | Unknown Artist – | Yumma, Al Hilou (Mother, Here's My Beauty) | 3:54 | |
| 5 | Unknown Artist – | Ahl Al Aqil (Oh, People Of Reason) | 3:41 | |
| 6 | Unknown Artist – | Unknown Title | 5:52 | |
| 7 | Unknown Artist – | Choubi Choubi | 2:55 | |
| 8 | Bawin – | Ya Binaya Goumi (Oh Girl, Stand Up) | 4:51 | |
| 9 | Ja'afar Hassan – | Front My Hope | 3:45 | |
| 10 | Sajada Al Ubaid – | Ala Honak (Take It Easy) | 5:14 | |
| 11 | Unknown Artist – | Unknown Title | 3:05 | |
| 12 | Mohammed Al Madloul – | Unknown Title | 4:10 | |
| 13 | Sadun Jabir – | Ashhad Biannak Hilou (I Admit You Are Beautiful) | 3:04 | |
| 14 | Salah Abd Alghafour – | Walla (By God) | 6:03 | |
| 15 | Ja'afar Hassan – | Palestinian | 2:26 | |
| 16 | Souad Abdullah – | Unknown Title | 2:40 |
Meticulously selected from Iraqi cassettes and LPs found in Syria, Europe and the Iraqi neighborhoods of Detroit, Michigan, this unique collection of folk and pop styles displays a wealth of outstanding music that is exclusive to Iraq.
Most tracks are traditional but were recorded in the 80’s to the early 90’s.
1. early 90’s pop song about Lebanon’s struggles
2. choubi tabla played in a southern Iraqi style
3. choubi music saluting Debkeh dancers
4. a cover version of a Sadun Jabir song about losing a lover
5. traditional choubi song made up of a medley of well known
traditional lyrics, including “they fucked us early in the
morning” - a reference to the Iraqi Mukhabaraat (Security
Police); accompanied by some of the best tabla drumming
you’ll hear anywhere
6. traditional choubi urging women to throw away the ‘Abayah‘
(the body-length black cloak, a symbol of religious
conservatism)
7. a traditional choubi lament for a lost lover
8. an ode to a beautiful girl
9. pop music - the title is better translated as ‘This is what
I wish for in life’
10. traditional choubi song sung in an Iraqi Bedouin (desert
nomad) dialect, delivered a ‘Muwaal’ style (sad song ) /
accompanied by musicians playing Nye (small headed violin),
tables and bass drum
11. urban love song in a Muwaal style
12. a tribute to the City of Baghdad
13. 80’s party song
14. choubi in Muwaal style; an ode to the physical beauty of a
woman
15. 90’s keyboard pop music; comparing Palestine to a woman
16. “you won’t find anybody better than us / go and try to find
someone better than us / but you’ll come back to us”