•
Rating: What do a seventy-year-old Algerian rai singer known as the crazy (Cheikha) have in common with a punk guitarist (East Bay Ray - Dead Kennedys), an indefinable bassist (Flea - Red Hot Chili Peppers), and two brothers from the Zappa universe (Bruce and Walter Fowler)?
At first glance, nothing, but then you read the name of his Majesty King Crimson and begin to understand. The mix between civilized (and perhaps dehumanized) sounds and the more genuine and natural ones of Africa or the Orient facing the Mediterranean had already tempted friends Eno and Byrne with some tracks from "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" and Robert Fripp could not miss the opportunity to join Cheikha Remitti, who must have had the chance to hear him in concert where she always gives her best. Thanks to the production of Houari Talbi, we have a rai legend trapped between frippertronics and Flea's slapped bass, something even singers younger by fifty years wouldn't be able to handle with the skill and confidence of Cheikha.
Algerian and American musicians seeking common ground between their cultures achieve the squaring of the circle in the title track, strengthened by the blows of East Bay Ray's distorted guitar and the valuable intervention of Fripp, who makes his way through the pounding percussion. "Sidi Mansour" is a track that will thrill you regardless of your condition at the time of listening, impossible to resist. Hypnotic ragas like "Ha Rai Ha Rai" with the funky horns of the Fowler brothers on a percussive & obsessive carpet made of fierce bendir and darbouka, tamed by the unsurpassed master voice of rai, will enlighten you on the communicativeness of this sound adventure. The reggae rhythms of "Rah Jey" are enriched by the deep melancholy song dried by the desert wind of Cheikha, who continues to recount stories made as always by the trials of yesterday and today: love, vice, passions, friendships, betrayals. The frippertronic alchemies here are never intrusive, lightly rising through the eight tracks of the album among rhythmic carpets and the brothel mantras of the mythical Algerian singer.
One of the best albums released in 1994, it's a shame that few noticed it.
Tracklist and Videos
Loading comments slowly
