Palestinian native Mohammed Assaf’s revolutionary folk songs are inseparable from the struggles of his homeland, whether they’re originals like “Ya Banat Bladna” or covers like the Mahmoud Darwish-penned classic “Ala Hadhihi Al Ard”. But Assaf is also an icon to people of Arab descent everywhere for exploring different pop styles—from classic Arabic love songs to Maghreb pop, his music is much more than just doom and gloom. “Besaraha” and “Allouma Allouma” plumb the depths of heartbreak, while “Zekryatna El Helwa” is heart-melting in its theme of courtship.