The album primarily features acoustic cover versions of songs originally performed by Arabic singers Fairuz and Abdel Halim Hafez.

[3] The lyrics to "La Vida Callada", a duet with Spanish singer Clara Sanabras, are based on a poem composed by the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

[3] The song "He Hesitated" refers to the Iraq War; Atlas has openly criticized the foreign policy decisions of former United States President George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

[1] The Times reviewer David Hutcheon described Ana Hina as "rather wonderful" and named "La Vida Callada" as its best song.

[4] Youssef Rakha of The National wrote that the album "is a powerful statement about being in the world today, a musical monument to globalisation" and further commented that its "effect is both refreshing and disorienting".