Okay, what about this Ofra Haza, huh ? I heard her many years ago on the radio (my tastes there are eclectic too) and picked up a maxi single with several mixes of three tunes from her second U.S. release on Sire, Desert Wind.

I had been quite taken by the Israeli rock 'n' roll, dance, and even a touch of rap on one mix, which I'd heard on that broadcast. My maxi single - and Desert Wind - contain:
"Ya Ba Ye" - I think I like the single mix best. The maxi single has four mixes of this song on it, you'll likely enjoy at least one.

"Da' Asa" - has a very distinctive "middle eastern sound," but listen close, lyrics are mostly in English.
The maxi single also contains, not from Desert Wind, but rather, from Shaday, "Da' Ale Da' Ale" which reminds me, at least in the "Razor Maid Mix" included, of dance tunes by Exposé, especially of their "Come Go With Me."

Her first CD here, Shaday was even stronger on the charts; you can sample a number of songs from both those CDs and two of her others at CDnow.

(None of Haza's singles charted in the U.S., by the way.)

Three other CDs are available here, Yemenite Songs, Fifty Gates Of Wisdom and Kirya; CDNOW also carries two Ofra Haza import CDs, and seven compilation and soundtrack CDs which include some of her music. Most notable of these is the Prince Of Egypt Soundtrack, on which three of her songs appear.

Sad news... Ofra Haza died February 23, 2000.
Ellis Shulman of your About.com Guide to: Israeli Culture notifed me of her illness a while before this.
See his February 28, 2000 edition or those from the week prior
The Jerusalem Post's story on her death may also be of interest, along with a second article.

The Ofra Haza Official Website has disabled its sales / promotional links and carries a very simple biography and other information and: