Allahu - Raihan

Allahu - Raihan

Raihan, one of Malaysia's first contemporary Nasyid group came with another first. After recording a Mandarin song in Gema Alam titled Ching Ai Cing Ai, Raihan came up with Allahu in the Urdu language. The song is lengthy at 6:48 minutes with a cheery tone to it. Beware, you could go 'gelek bollywood' upon hearing this song! But don't worry, as with Ching Ai Cing Ai the song Allahu includes Malay translation lyrics into it so you still could understand the meaning of the song.

This Album also have three song which is duet with other artists. They are Taqwa & Iman with S. Jibeng, 'Araftu Ka with Muhammad al-Husayyan, and Dari Tuhan with Awie. Taqwa & Iman, as you expected with S. Jibeng sounds traditional. 'Araftu Ka also are pretty much traditional Arabic song added with a few lines of English and Malay Lyrics. But then, Dari Tuhan with Awie is really superb with both party having solid vocals. I personally loves this song. This song rocks!

There are also three original song written and composed by members of Raihan themselves titled Ababil by Abu Bakar, Sifat-sifat Nabi by Abu bakar & Che Amran and Pesanan Buat Kita by Nazrey. Ababil is a song about the invasion of Mecca by Abrahah prior to the birth Rasulullah s.a.w. It does not just merely retell this story but also relates and made us ponder with our current situation such as the invasion of Iraq and the Palestinian conflict. Sifat-sifat Nabi would nicely complement 25 Rasul in Syukur as it have that cheerful tune, clearly targeted at the younger ones I presume. Pesanan Buat Kita is laden with advice to all of us (the title says it all) and should be pondered upon.

Oddly, this album also features two songs that had been featured in another group album before. Antara 2 Cinta had been originally featured in Kembara Cinta by Saujana, although there's some modification to it's lyrics. Your Face is Bright had also originally included in Impian Kasih by In-Team under the title of The Messenger of Allah.

Last but not least is Doa Tilawah, a traditional nasyid with Malay lyrics by Che Amran. For me, Allahu would deserve 4 out 5 stars. Cut one star because of the two 'unoriginal' songs. Despite that, Raihan vocals are still superb and would put many new nasyid group to shame. Their songs are also professionally arranged, mixed, and engineered.