Search - Kadda Cherif Hadria :: Djezair

Rai with some muscle

03/14/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is a reason that Djezair has created such a stir in rai circles since its release last year. While the music is mostly traditional rai, the arranging and performances are anything but. Kadda Cherif Hadria has a deep, raspy voice, quite remeniscent of Rachid Taha, that he bends and distorts to great effect. His singing style is light years away from the chirpy tenors so characteristic of much of rai today, and, in place of the cheesy synthesizers and drum machines (that do have their place in rai, I will admit), Hadria features live musicians. The brass section adds a lot of muscle to the arrangements, as does the live percussion. Although he goes beyond the bounds of strict rai on a couple of numbers, most notably the opening cut which is straight ahead Barcelona-style Gypsy rumba, Hadria's traditional roots run deep on most numbers.Djezair is light years away from the new Cheb Mami denatured rai release, and all the better for it."