The often superficial relationship between Algeria's rai music and Jamaica's reggae is fleshed out by Khaled on Sahra, a CD named after his daughter. On 3 of the 12 tracks, he utilizes the cream of Jamaican studios and per... more »formers. The symbiosis is manifested most strongly on "Ouelli El Darek", which features no less than the I Threes, Mickey Chung, and Dean Fraser, among others, on a fine cross-cultural workout with Khaled at the top of his form. Elsewhere he picks out some of the best funksters and North African superstars, recording in Paris and Los Angeles with seven sets of producers, including Don Was, Philippe Heidel, Clive Hunt, and Akhenaton & Imhotep. Despite all these cooks, the stew holds together well with strong material and great performances, and echoes the international acceptance of rai music today--largely the result of Khaled's continued popularity at home and abroad. --Derek Rath« less
The often superficial relationship between Algeria's rai music and Jamaica's reggae is fleshed out by Khaled on Sahra, a CD named after his daughter. On 3 of the 12 tracks, he utilizes the cream of Jamaican studios and performers. The symbiosis is manifested most strongly on "Ouelli El Darek", which features no less than the I Threes, Mickey Chung, and Dean Fraser, among others, on a fine cross-cultural workout with Khaled at the top of his form. Elsewhere he picks out some of the best funksters and North African superstars, recording in Paris and Los Angeles with seven sets of producers, including Don Was, Philippe Heidel, Clive Hunt, and Akhenaton & Imhotep. Despite all these cooks, the stew holds together well with strong material and great performances, and echoes the international acceptance of rai music today--largely the result of Khaled's continued popularity at home and abroad. --Derek Rath
Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 11/07/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There is a subtle jazzy sound to this CD when compared to some of Khaled's other releases, as well as a mix of styles, but this master of the rai genre excels at them all. Some superb musicians are included, and I especially like "Detni Essekra", which reminds me of a tango, with its emphasis on piano (Boyan Zulfikapasic), stringbass (Bernard Paganotti) and accordion (Philippe Eidel).
"Ki Kounti" is another gem; recorded in Los Angeles, it is a duet with Saul Hernandez, composer and lead singer for Mexico's well known rock band Jaguares, and is sung partially in Spanish.
Three tracks were recorded in Jamaica, and have a marvelous bouncy reggae feel to them: "Lillah" has a terrific brass accompaniment, "Ouelli El Darek" nifty background vocals by the "I Threes", and "Mektoubi" is an all-out big band number.My two favorites would be "Wahrane Wahrane", which like a traditional Arabic pop song has a string arrangement similar to what one would have heard backing the classic Egyptian singers of a generation ago, and the final track, "Hey Ouedi", with its mystical quality, is quite thrilling, with instruments seeming to imitate the sound of ululation.
"Oran Marseille" with rap group IAM, only works half-way for me (I like the Khaled parts and the instrumentation), but perhaps that is because I do not care for rap music. "Aisha" is a signature song for Khaled, and always great to hear. Khaled is a pioneer of rai music, and his title of "King of Rai" is well deserved; with his gritty expressive voice, he has brought this music to every corner of the earth. Also recommended is his CD "Kutche", and the live performance album with Faudel and Rachid Taha, "1, 2, 3 Soleils".
Khaled co-wrote all the songs except "Hey Ouedi", which he wrote alone, the sound is excellent, the insert foldout has recording info but no liner notes or lyrics, and total time is 51'51."
An incredible east-meets-west album!
Alejandra Vernon | 10/20/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Khaled delivers within this disc the most incredible taste of raï music ever. The music is exotic, but is sprinkled with influences of western hip-hop and pop and melts down into a sizzling, energetic, unique rythm! I recommend "Sahra," "Lillah," and "Walou Walou." The undeniable "Aicha," a unique, mesmerizing hit, has all the charm and romance of a pop ballad, without all the bubblegum and image fodder of western pop. This album is wonderful!!!"
Awesome!
Sandra | Texas | 07/03/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I absolutely love this CD. I know Arabic myself, and I really have enjoyed the lyrics. This CD in particular is full of color and life. It surely would bring life to a party. In addition, Khaled's voice and his approach really send a message to the listener even if the listener themself does not understand the language. I extremely recommend this CD to anyone who is interested in embracing such a culture."
Amazing
Tess | Montréal, Québec Canada | 04/22/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first heard "Aicha" in my fourth year French class back in early 2001. I had already been listening to the Egyptian goddess, Natacha Atlas, and I was familiar with the Middle Eastern sound. Khaled's voice is the most gorgeous of all the Raï singers... very smooth and hypnotic. Khaled's voice will leave me in a trance, which is what North African music does. I seriously believe that anyone will like this CD and want to hear more from Khaled - "the King of Raï"."
NOT A JOKE
Tess | 04/16/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I went to a christmas party where everyone was to bring a favorite cd to exchange. I got this one. At first I thought it was a joke. I had never heard of this guy and it didn't seem like the kind of music I would be interested in. I listened to it any way, after all it was free. Wow was I wrong! On the first listen it seemed really different and exotic. The more I listened to it the more it grew on me. I just love it now. I am going to buy more by him."