Khaleeji version of Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry reaches half a million hits

'No Woman, No Cry', given a Gulf groove by Bahraini musicians, gathers viral momentum on YouTube

Screengrab of A Bahraini singer's cover of Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry is grabbing attention around the world, surpassing half a million hits on Tunes Arabia's YouTube channel.

A Bahraini singer's cover of Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry is grabbing attention around the world, surpassing half a million hits on Tunes Arabia's YouTube channel.

Mohammed Al Bakri appeared on the MBC TV show Jalsat Wanasah last month, playing an oud and singing the English lyrics, which he punctuates with the odd "yella" and "aiwa" and "ya salam".

Initially seated majlis-style, the choir of Khaleeji singers and traditional drummers join him in a jazzy rendition of the reggae anthem, building to a spirited crescendo that has several of its members clapping and swaying with blissful smiles to the reggae beats.

"Everything's gonna be alright," they sing, just like Bob Marley and the Wailers did in 1974, and with all that's going on in the world, who wouldn't want to believe in that uplifting refrain?