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CD Review
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Afropop, CD Review >>
Rachid Taha is a maverick among ’s rai rebels. This street-wise, hybrid genre made its way to the global stage with passionate, young singers challenging social taboos. Taha went further, eschewing the slick pop of Cheb Mami, and the feel-good, funky rai of Khaled in favor of a rough-edged, rock vibe. Taha’s brooding cover of the Clash (“Rock el Casbah”) is only the most obvious gesture amid a 14-track feast of finely crafted rawness unlike anything else in African music. Producer/guitarist Steve Hillage heads a team of collaborators, but for all the techno grooves and layering of gnarly guitars, Middle Eastern instruments, and a blustery string section, Taha keeps it real with his gruff, edgy vocals. The voice is not pretty. It extends from a ragged whisper to a mad roar, calibrated to suit messages of despair, longing, and anger at “liars, thieves, killers, and oppressors.” Taha is master of the terse, punk refrain on songs like “Meftuh/Open” and “Safi/Pure.” He’s also capable of high-concept rock bombast à la Led Zeppelin (“Nah’Seb/I Count”), and percolating, one-chord grooves reminiscent of Talking Heads (“Shuf/Look”). What endures is the expression of an angry man looking for hope and beauty in a soiled, broken world. 06/30/05 >> go there
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