Rachid Taha - Diwan + Made In Medina @320

1. Rachid Taha – Diwan (1998)
The sophomore release from Algerian singer Rachid Taha. This is a stunning album, as he moves through straightforward rai to blues, rock, and the full spectrum of worldbeat. The album starts out with a song about exile from home, followed by a musical history of rai, covering all of the basic steps in the development of Taha's chosen base-style. An Egyptian film song from the great Farid El Atrache continues the barrage of bouncing Middle Eastern and North African sounds. A more modern version of the ay-ay genre ensues, with fuzzed guitars looped throughout. Some urban Algerian blues and a bit of chaabi follow, on the topics of love and love lost. The album finishes with a stretch of slightly more serious songs, with a number based on the Algerian war for independence and the torture endured by its prisoners, a political song from a Moroccan group, a basic rai number in French pidgin, and a song from the frustrated youth of Algeria. This is something of a North African tour-de-force, as Taha moves from one style to another, always partially based in the rai tradition, but always expanding to other styles in the process. The songs can be backed by a simple flute, or by a group of rock guitars. Either way, the works are held together by the overriding compositions that Taha is dealing from. It's a great album for those that are already knowledgeable in rai for its new directions, and a nice album for newcomers as it displays the full breadth in a single disc.
01. Ya Rayah
02. Ida
03. Habina
04. Bent Sahra
05. Ach Adani
06. El H'mame
07. Enti Rahti
08. Menfi
09. Bani Al Insane
10. Malheureux Toujours
11. Aiya Aiya
2. Rachid Taha - Made In Medina (2000)
Rachid Taha is not the first artist to blend Arab and Western musical styles, but he is certainly one of the most innovative. Born in Algeria, but residing in France since age ten, Taha fronted a highly political punk band in his teens, then made his mark as an equally radical DJ before launching a solo career. Made in Medina is the latest in his string of crossover creations. Recorded on three continents and four countries (U.S., U.K., France, and Morocco), utilizing musicians from equally far flung locales, and overseen by long-time producer Steve Hillage, the album is brimming with the exotic and the familiar. With lyrics in English, French, and, at one point, Berber, the sleeve notes provide English translations and explain the songs' core message and musical roots. Like a sumptuous banquet, Medina is a rich mix of dishes, one that will tempt even the most jaded palette. Inevitably, it will be branded world music, a label guaranteed to scare off much of Taha's prospective audience. There's crunching punk numbers, as hardcore as any anarcho-punk band's, but sliced with techno beats, sure to appeal to Prodigy fans. Spanish-flavored numbers are perfect for the salsa crowd, Afro-pop with a syncopated beat are sure to capture reggae fans, and there's even a space rock number for the ambient/prog rockers. With lyrical themes that run the gambit from alienation to the spiritual, Taha's appeal across genres is evident. And while it may sound like a shopping list for an international emporium, in fact, Medina has an extremely coherent sound, built on prominent, danceable rhythms, strong melodies, and powerful vocals, all shot through with a Middle Eastern flavor. A truly world sound.
01. Barra Barra
02. Foqt Foqt
03. Medina
04. Ala Jalkoum
05. Ai Ai Ai
06. Hey Anta
07. Qalantiqa
08. En Retard
09. Verite
10. Ho Cherie Cherie
11. Garab
BITRATE: 320
My cd-rip (EAC and Lame)
Covers Included
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