Dana's first album. Not my favourite one, but with plenty of gems nonetheless. The opening track Fata morgana is very good - and written by my favourite Israeli rock group Etnix! (Though they don't seem to have had anything to do with the production.) Samar-mar is listed as and Arabic folk tune - sadly this is common Israeli practice when doing cover versions of Arabic (as well as Turkish, Iranian and Greek) songs. The song is actually a cover version of the big Egyptian hit Samara (Dark girl) written and recorded by sha'bi music star Hassan al-Asmar. Dana's lyrics are a weird mix of the original words in Arabic, child rhyme English and singsong Arabic. (For a general description of Dana's Arabic, all you have to do is click!) Mi she-lo rotze oti starts a bit strangely, but is sort of ethnic house. Mishak ha-dma'ot is a ditty with Spanish guitar, nice enough. No alibi is typical Dana goes dancefloor (I must admit I usually skip those!) - lame lyrics in "English".

'Arusa is a kind of Middle Eastern house with lyrics in fairly good Arabic and broken English. Incidentally, Dana only writes her own lyrics in English (usually only sentences repeated ad nauseam) or Arabic. Yes Sir, I can boogie is a cover of the Baccara-song from 1979, quite effective - though I would have preferred her to sing it in Hebrew (so much more exotic!). Sa'ida Sultana is the song that named her to her Arab audience - and made her infamous. Lots of moaning and screaming with lyrics in Arabic and English on the nonsensical side. The same goes for Danna International.

The final song on the album (except for the bonus tracks) is Queen's The show must go on sung in Hebrew with the chorus in English. As Queen is not my thing, I have actually never heard the original - but I like this version. Three bonus tracks here - versions of Fata morgana, Samar-mar and Dana International. As very few singles are released in Israel, and then usually shrink-wrapped with the last album, it seems most artists include remixes and other tracks from singles on their albums as bonus tracks. A nice habit.

Umpatampa (Album)

This album exists in two versions, one with Layla tov, Eropa, one without. Make sure you get the latest version with Layla tov... on it. This is the version released after her 2nd place in the Israeli Eurovision final in 1995. Very Eurovision this one, and rather wonderful (though I prefer the club mix).

The original release started with Petrance, a very good dance tune in Hebrew (and the first Dana song I ever heard). Weird lyrics, if I haven't misunderstood them completely. Ani lo... is nice a dramatic techno ditty about unrequitted love (melody by Tzvika Pik). Yeshnan banot is an old army song modernized in a sort of Broadway goes techno-style. Umpatampa, Qu'est-ce que c'est and Right now I usually skip - very much like No alibi. 100% gever is won-der-ful - she seems to have good taste in men! (If a tad stereotypical - much like my own taste...) Betula is my all-time favourite (together with Yesh bo esh). Cool lyrics, nice Suzanne Vega-sample (!) - if I have to complain it's because it's too short. (But my CD-player has repeat, so never mind!) Zomba is nonsensical popdance in Arabic. Derori yikra is a cover version of a traditional Shabbat song (and was revamped for the 1999 Eurovision intermission show). Nosa'et le-Petra is a slower version of Petrance. And the album ends with an (if possible) even more dramatic version of Ani lo... - cue thunderstorm!

Silvester (CD single)

Private release distributed as a flier for the New Year's Eve party December 31, 1994 at the Playroom at Allenby 58. Some Dana songs mixed with other stuff - Ofer Nisim (her producer cum manager) is (was?) DJ at Allenby 58 which explains it.

EPtampa (EP)

A shorter album of some new songs and some remixes from the previous two albums - possibly released to get out of the contract with IMP Dance. Ani rotza li-chyot reminds me of Ani lo... lyrics-wise - good dance with a hint of Jean-Michel Jarre. Mi she-lo roked is a duet with Tzvika Pik, who also wrote the music. Effective dance pop. Flash Gordon is a dramatic Hebrew dance ditty about (surprise!) Flash Gordon - written by Ofra Haza's main collaborator Bezalel Aloni. Layla tov, Eropa is included in it's even better club mix format. Splendid track - a fusion of Eurovision ooomph! and dance. Danna International is given a remix that doesn't make any difference to me. Qu'est-ce que c'est has been remixed in Italy - but has not improved much in my ears. Betula is given an ethnic work-over (which boils down to synthesizer sitars and samples of Indian hindustani music stars Asha Bhosle or Lata Mangeshkar) - why not extend the original instead?

Maganona (Album)

Her third album, which was almost three years in the making because of changes in record companies etc. The opening track, Maganona, reputedly with a video shot by Israeli Channel 2 at the pyramids, is Dana's "answer" to her Egyptian audience - and maybe the conspiracy theorists? Anyway, she makes the point she is not crazy in a hyperactive dance/techno in Arabic. Hint : It's pronounced magnuna, not maganona, Dana dearest! Let kiss is a cover version of an Israeli cover of a Finnish jenka song from the 50s (!) - much in the style of Yeshnan banot. Don Quixote is Spanish-influenced pop - and very nice at that. Yesh bo esh is fa-bu-lous: Sensual, extremely heavy beat, cool lyrics - and a nice choice to duet it with Igi Wachsmann. All together now; "If he should come into my hands... (Im yevo elay la-yadayim...)" I'm gonna let and Cinque milla suffers the same destiny as No alibi etc. - here I hit the skip button. Menafnefet is very nice indeed, sensual dance. This also goes for Ot mi-shamayim which has very good backing vocals. Sipur ahavtem shel Chas ve-Chalila is nice. (I even got the pun - "Chas ve-Chalila" means "God forbid" or "my-oh-my" in Hebrew.) Bo is a nice ballad - come to Dana's warm house. (I'd accept the invitation - according to her dancers she makes good spaghetti!) Bonus tracks on this album: An instrumental of Chas ve-Chalila - nice enough, but an instrumental all the same (and I like to sing along with the chorus). A very effective club mix of Menafnefet, and finally a club mix of Maganona which improves on the other version.

Diva - ha-osef (Greatest hits album)

If you're going to invest in one Dana album, this is the one. Here you get a very representative selection of our Diva's past efforts. (Only two of my favourites are missing: Betula and Yesh bo esh, but never mind!) From her first album Dana International: Fata morgana (9) in the original version as well as Sa'ida Sultana (6) and Dana International/Shushu (7) - the tracks which made her famous in the Arab world, both in edited versions. From Umpatampa: Yeshnan banot (2), Ani lo.. in its original mix (4) and a wonderful newly recorded acoustic version (17), Nosa'et le-Petra (8) and Mea achuz gever (12) - both in original versions. No tracks from EP-tampa. From Maganona we get the title track in a great 1998 remix (5); Don Quixote (3) and Menafnefet (11) in original versions and finally Chinquemilla (15) in the video mix (which is far superior to the original in my opinion). And we're not finished by far! Then you get both her Eurovision songs: The 1998 winner Diva (1) in its Hebrew version and the original version of Layla tov, Eropa (10) which came second in the Israeli final in 1995 (the EP-tampa remix is better). Her last Israel-only single, Sex acher (13) is included in the 'Ofer Nissim remix and its bonus track Power (14) in the radio mix - both the best versions off the single. Finally, she gives us a beautiful ballad never released before: Zemer shalosh ha-tshuvot (16). The only thing missing is lyrics for all the songs, though the words of Diva are included.

Dana International - The Album (Compilation album)

Helicon, Dana's former record company, seems to be of the idea that Diva ha-osef would not suit the European market (despite strong sales on import in many countries), and have put together a different compilation album for the world outside Israel. Here there is an emphasis on Dana's house material. It opens with the very good Radio mix of Cinque milla, also released on single. Maganuna has been remixed in a trance-direction, which makes the track very different from the original - which is also included. Qu'est [-ce] que c'est is presented in a remix made by the Italian team ti.pi.cal - very similar to the one they mixed for EPTampa, no improvement on the original - which finishes this album. Power is included in the superior Radio mix. I'm gonna let in the same version as is available on Maganona. Danna International is included in the same tight version as on Diva ha-osef. The real goodie for collectors here is the previously unreleased English version of Layla tov, Eropa: Good night Europe - not as good as the remix on EPTampa in my ears. The wonderful ethnic house-song 'Arusa is included (it was mysteriously not on Diva ha-osef), so is Don Quixote which I think will be a radio favorite in Spain. Then there is Nosa'et le-Petra, which she has mimed several times in European shows (I prefer the alternative version Petrance off Umpatampa). Finally the original versions of Cinque milla, Maganuna and Qu'est que c'est as mentioned.
The crucial question: Which one would I get, Diva ha-osef or The album? I personally prefer Diva ha-osef as it shows Dana's whole talent and gives examples of all her different styles, but if you like house you should go for The album. Or better: Get both...

Free

Dana's first album for an international audience was released in June 1999. As was clear from several interviews after Dana won the Eurovision in 1998, both she and her management were a bit confused as to what kind of style to go for when recording for the European market. The choice fell on eurodance, and she started working on the album with the Dutch producers Rob and Ferdi Bolland in early 1999.
Free the album is generally rather less ethnic than what many of her fans were hoping for, but starts out with a new version of the traditional Shabbat song Dror yikra (which was also included on Umpatampa) - the song was presented in the intermission of the 1999 Eurovision final in a slightly different version. As in the Eurovision, Free - a cover version of a Stevie Wonder song - follows. A nice track with a gospel feel.
Love is all there is is a nice midtempo dance song about love being the only thing that counts. The tempo goes up in Language of love - with Dana professing to prefer body language to speech. La vita è bella is sort of Dana goes Ace of Base - I'm not wild about this one... Tease me is a nice little dance ditty. If you don't love me the way I am is one of my favourites, slowtempo dance with hints to Dana's personal experience - if I should have asked for something it would be to extend the song and add another verse or two. This is the night is nice enough, but more than a wee bit similar to Spice Girl's Spice up your life in my opinion.
On Dana's Israeli albums, her technosongs have had lyrics in European languages (or at least something reminiscent of such) - here the table is turned and Free's only techno track Ani ohevet is sung in Hebrew.
Then we have my favourite: The utterly appriopriately named Glamorous - a sort of 90s update of Italian 80s eurodisco, with guys going ohoh in the background and a hint of Chic's Le freak. Whenever I listen to this track I get a very strong urge to vogue around the room...! Dana: this song screams for single release - a real European summer hit! (And tailormade for gay discos!)
Woman in love - Dana's cover of the Barbra Streisand hit - is mysteriously included in the C&N single remix. The original (recorded for the British charity record of Bee Gees cover versions Gotta get a message to you) is so much better in my opinion - it has a slower tempo more fitting to this ballad, and a production with hints of Madonna's Frozen. Diva '99 sees Dana doing a cover version of herself so to speak - the original vocal track has been given a new backing, which I find complements the song nicely. The last track is a bonus remix of Free, in my opinion the best of the remixes available as it includes the gospel feel of the single version.