Kirya (an ancient Hebrew nickname for Jerusalem) is a 1992 album by Israeli singer Ofra Haza. Intended as the follow-up to Haza’s internationally successful Shaday (1988) and Desert Wind (1989) albums, it built on her successful blend of Electronic dance music and traditional Middle Eastern sounds, being a logical next step for Haza. Musically, it applied the sensibilities of pop producer Don Was to traditional song writing and instrumentation; lyrically, it delivered powerful themes of longing, joy, and the plight of the downtrodden in several languages, much like Haza's earlier work.

Kirya
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 25, 1992
RecordedMicroplant (Los Angeles), Conway, Devonshire, Record Plant, Bee Studio (Bahia, Brazil)
(1991–1992)
Genre
Length43:46
LanguageHebrew, Arabic, English
LabelEast West Records, Warner Music Group
ProducerDon Was, Ofra Haza, and Bezalel Aloni
Ofra Haza chronology
Desert Wind
(1989)
Kirya
(1992)
Kol Haneshama • My Soul
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Calgary HeraldA−[2]

Along with producer Was, Haza was joined by other Western musicians, including a featured duet with Iggy Pop on "Daw Da Hiya", a song about a girl sentenced to death for becoming pregnant out of wedlock while the man responsible remains free. Music videos were made for two of the album's tracks, "Daw Da Hiya" and "Innocent" - "A Requiem for Refugees".

In 1993, the album was nominated for a Grammy[3] in the "Best World Music Album" category,[4] an achievement which to this day has not been matched by any other Israeli singer.

Track listing

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  1. "Kirya" (Traditional, Haza, Aloni) - 6:11
  2. "Horashoot – The Bridge" (Traditional, Ben Amram, Haza, Aloni) - 3:46
  3. "Innocent" – A Requiem for Refugees (Haza, Aloni) - 4:46
  4. "Trains of No Return" (Haza, Aloni) - 4:15
  5. "Mystery Fate and Love" (Haza, Aloni) - 5:24
  6. "Daw Da Hiya" (featuring Iggy Pop) (Haza, Aloni, Morriss) - 4:55
  7. "Don't Forsake Me" (Traditional, Shabazi, Haza, Aloni) - 4:35
  8. "Barefoot" (Haza, Aloni) - 5:14
  9. "Take 7/8" (Amram, Haza, Aloni) - 4:35
  10. "Today I'll Pray" (Bonus track certain editions) (Haza, Aloni) - 4:33

Charts

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Personnel

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Production

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  • Don Wasrecord producer
  • Ofra Haza – producer
  • Bezalel Aloni – producer
  • Recorded at Microplant, Conway, Devonshire, England; Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, California; Bee Studio, Bahia, Brazil.

References

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  1. ^ Kirya at AllMusic
  2. ^ Tremblay, Mark (5 April 1992). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  3. ^ Pareles, John (24 Feb 2000). "Ofra Haza, 41, Israeli Pop Singer Who Crossed Cultural Bounds". New York Times. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Ofra Haza". Grammy Awards. Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 May 2019.