Ala Dondang
File:Noraniza Idris - Ala Dondang karaoke version.jpg
Ala Dondang is the seventh studio album by the Malaysian singer, Noraniza Idris. It was released on 28 July 1997 by Suria Records. It was her first New album in over four years, following the release of her experimental traditional pop album, Noraniza Idris (1992). It was also her first album released by the record label Suria Records. Written and produced by Pak Ngah and S. Atan, Ala Dondang is an Irama Malaysia album influenced by ghazal and zapin music.
Background
Following the release of her album Noraniza Idris (1992) – at which time she was still signed to a leading Malaysian record label, Sony Music Malaysia, but unfortunately the album failed to gain much traction with the public at the time, amidst a market that was still conventional, and her contract subsequently expired in 1993. She then decided to take a break from her career for a while, as she wished to focus on managing her household for her family for a period of three years. After that, she finally decided to resume her singing career and subsequently signed a contract with her new record label, Suria Records Sdn. Bhd., where Tan Su Loke became the executive producer of the label in 1996, and she joined as a recording artist.
What’s more, even earlier on, as we entered the modern era and moved towards the digital age, these songs with their ‘Irama Malaysia’ rhythm failed to resonate with listeners; they attracted little attention and were rarely played on the radio. Many people considered this genre to be out of step with the times and, more ironically, regarded it as ‘provincial’ and out of tune with the tastes of the younger generation. What’s more, the music industry was constantly releasing album after album in genres such as pop, rock, R&B, ballads, hip-hop and the like, which almost completely dominated the market at the time. However, songs in the Irama Malaysia genre were increasingly sidelined and forgotten by the general public. It was against this backdrop that Noraniza Idris played a vital role in giving voice to her passion: how to breathe new life into Irama Malaysia songs, ensuring they remain popular amongst a wide range of audiences – not just the older generation, but also the younger generation – and remain timeless, even after many years.
Album summary
Ala Dondang was inspired by a desire to revive the treasure trove of traditional music—a heritage passed down through the generations—so that today’s generation may enjoy it through this album. This album is a collection of traditional songs that frequently remind us of the richness of our authentic culture and our priceless heritage. Through musical arrangements that breathe new life into these pieces, adapted to contemporary tastes, and the creative inspiration of the lyricists and composers, the album Ala Dondang was born. Noraniza has collaborated with numerous composers on the songs featured in this album, including Anak Sarawak, Khalil Sharif, Pak Ngah, Rahim Jantan and Hairul Anuar Harun.
For the release of this album, Noraniza collaborated with Suhaimi Mohd Zain—better known as Pak Ngah—and S. Atan, the record label that released the album on an experimental basis; it ultimately sold 200,000 units and earned her her first double platinum award. Ala Dondang featured the track "Awallah Dondang" as the lead single for the album and went on to compete at the 1997 Anugerah Juara Lagu. Noraniza opened people’s eyes at the time; the public were no longer solely focused on pop, rock, R&B and similar genres, but also became interested in traditional-style songs immediately after the album’s release. Due to the overwhelming reception the album received, “Ala Dondang” was recognised as Best Ethnic Pop Album at the 1998 Anugerah Industri Muzik (5th Music Industry Awards) on 1998 and was also nominated for the main category, Best Album.
Track listing
Workforce
Here is the team behind the making of her seventh studio album, and her first new album in years, Ala Dondang, based on the album sleeve.
Critical review
The album Ala Dondang received positive reviews from local music critics. In a critical review by Zainal Alam Kadir in the Homespins column of the New Straits Times, he praised Noraniza Idris and the record label Suria Records (SRC) for preserving and revitalising the concept of traditional music in the Malaysian Melody genre, combined with contemporary pop elements. He also described the album as an interesting record for successfully incorporating a rich variety of Malay heritage rhythms such as zapin, gambus, rodat, dikir barat, lagu asli, inang, and ghazal into a contemporary format that is easily accessible to the mainstream market.
Additional information
The album has sold nearly 200,000 units and has earned a Double Platinum (Anugerah Platinum Berkembar) 1 award for 100,000 units in Malaysia (RIM Chart). Then, on behalf of Suria Records This had a significant impact and paved the way for the release of the album Cindai, Siti Nurhaliza's debut album, as one of the factors was that this album sold very well and also won a Double Platinum Award, with the album being released in the same year. Through this album, she won the Best Ethnic Pop Album category and was also nominated for the main category, Best Album, at the 1998 Anugerah Industri Muzik. (5th Music Industry Awards). The album's first single, "Awallah Dondang", also went on to compete in the 12th Juara Lagu Contest (1997 Anugerah Juara Lagu). The song "Rindu" was also nominated to compete in the Muzik Muzik 1998 semi-finals. Unfortunately, it failed to advance to the final of the 1998 Juara Lagu Awards. The album also released a tracklist of karaoke or 'minus one' versions.
Chart position
Album {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (1997) ! scope="col"| Highest chart position |- !Malaysia
(RIM Chart) |style="text-align:center;"|6 |}
Single {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9 |- align="center" !rowspan="2"|Year !rowspan="2"|Title !colspan="9"|Highest position |- !align="center" width="30"|Muzik FM !align="center" width="30"|ERA FM !align="center" width="30"|HOT FM !align="center" width="30"|Muzik Muzik |- |align="center" rowspan="3" |1997 |align="left"|Awallah Dondang |align="center"|8 |align="center"|- |align="center"|- |align="center"|3 |- |align="left"|Rindu |align="center"|13 |align="center"|- |align="center"|- |align="center"|4 |- |align="left"|Semalu Rimba |align="center"|- |align="center"|- |align="center"|- |align="center"|7 |- |align="center" rowspan="2" |1998 |align="left"|Embun Setitik |align="center"|- |align="center"|- |align="center"|- |align="center"|8 |- |align="left"|Mahligai Asli |align="center"|18 |align="center"|- |align="center"|- |align="center"|6 |- |}
Award and nomination
Anugerah Industri Muzik {| class="wikitable" |+ !Year !Nominee(s) !Category !Result |- | rowspan="2" |1998 | rowspan="2" |Ala Dondang |Best Ethnic Pop Album | |- |Best Album | |}
Anugerah Juara Lagu {| class="wikitable" |+ !Year !Nominee(s) !Category !Result |- |1997 |"Awallah Dondang" |Best Malaysian Melody and Creative Ethnic Song | |}
Certification
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" !Country !Certification !Sales |- !scope="row"|Malaysia |1× Platinum |align="center"|100,000 |}
Release history
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |- !Country !Released date !Format !Label |- !scope="row"|Malaysia |July 28, 1997 |Casset, CD, Album | rowspan="5" |Suria Records |- !scope="row"|Singapore |1997 |Casset, Album |- !scope="row"|Malaysia |1997 |CD, Album, Karaoke version album |- !scope="row"|Malaysia |2003 |CD, Album, reprint |- !scope="row"|Malaysia |2007 |CD, Album, reprint |}
