KHALED - YA-RAYI | FLY | AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST: REVIEWS

It shouldn't be too hard: the immigration policy of the republic of Ya-Rayi is clearly a liberal one. There's room for soul, rock, pop, smatterings of High Life and a very generous slice of funk alongside traditional Algerian grooves. Arrangements are just as eclectic, featuring (and this isn't a comprehensive list) piano, fender rhodes, Spanish and electric guitars, Arabian string orchestras (specially recorded in Cairo), West-African style backing vocals, every kind of percussion, accordion, bano, charanga, bouzouki, derbouka, ney, even cornemuse (traditional French bagpipes) and best of all, brass arrangements to make James Brown blush. The bass playing of Michel "Mishko" M'Ba (throughout the album but maybe most of all on El Ghira) deserves a special mention here.

Ya-Rayi also has an enlightened approach to its senior citizens. In an approach reminiscent of Buena Vista Social Club, Khaled has turned to the idols of his Algerian childhood, singer Blaoui Houari and pianist Maurice El Medioni, both almost unknown in the France in which Khaled has made his home, for collaborations on the album. El Medioni's decorative piano opens the disc on the uncharacteristically gentle and lilting Mani Hani, like a whiff of smoke from a shisha pipe or a sip of strong mint tea, and Houari joins Khaled for a duet on the classic H'Mama. The spirit of tribute to the motherland runs through an album which was codenamed Back to the Roots by its record producers, and conceived in the wake of devastating earthquakes in Algeria in 2003. According to Khaled, the song lyrics have more to do with family and home than the more standard romantic themes of Raï.

Given all this, you might expect an album somewhat burdened by reverence for tradition, or by the breadth of its influences, but nothing could be further from the truth. This is free-spirited, high-energy pumping party music. There's no sense of a fear of vulgarity, but thanks to the musicality of everyone concerned and especially co-producer Don Was and co-arranger Philippe Eidel, also no vulgarity, even with the cast of thousands that makes this album the celebration it is.

In addition to the making of the album, the DVD includes an engaging review of Khaled's French career and videos of his two biggest hits, Didi (this video is not to be missed - I'll say no more than that) and AÔcha, as well as his appearance alongside fellow Raï stars Faudel and Rachid Taha in the historic 1998 concert 1,2,3 Soleil. Apart from some fascinating insights into the painfully slow liberalisation of France's radio and club scene, the central character that emerges is as sympathetic as his singing is beautiful, smiling constantly and seeming to share a secret joke with us. Maybe it's something to do with those shirts.

As algerian drummer ,i enjoy listening to khaled music that gives me always a lot of inspiration,it is a music you can listen non stop, without having enough of it.

He used produces his music with great people out the music industry who i appreciate like don was,jjgoldman,the drummer tony wiliams out the previous album Aisha, zachary alfords, famous drummer from the american band B52.

I always consider khaled as a sun-shining for the algerian youth.

I say thank you khaled for your lovely music and arming rhythms.

kamel from haarlem holland

bonjour,

hello thx to you khaled hadji ibrahim,i’m bass player from egypt and want to say thankes to you and to all the reall musician who give us real music all the time

here maybe little people who listen to rai music but the people who listen like it very musch and i want to say that i’m very old listener to rai music from cotchy album and the records before wish you khaled to be in good health always and please try to made mors songs like (maddeh) we like the islamic songs like this thankes again khaled for your suffer to be khaled that we love alot bye

hello khaled you’r verry verry cool singer of rai music cool for your kind,ilike you,like your music im your fun continue khaled hadj brahim,i hope to write me bye…………..im not gilmour ghali of algeria

Salut!!
Je suis une marocaine, agée de 23 ans, et je suis une grande admiratrice de votre music, d’autant plus que je suis originaire d’Oujda, frontière entre la Maroc et l’Algérie!!!
Je trouve votre voix vibrante, et vos paroles magnifiques (Wahran par exemple)
Je vous souhaite un bonne continuation!!!
je vous adore!!

CIAO kHALED HAJ BRAHIM…!!COME VA LA VITA ??SPERO CHE TUTO TI VADA BENE !PERCHè NON CI PROPONE I CAPO LAVORI DI INIZIO CARRIERA, SONO QUEI BRANI CHE CI HANNO FATTO INNAMORARE DI TE, SENZA NULLA TOGLIERE ALL’INNOVAZIONE (TUTTO VA BENE)PERO’ PERFAVORE RIAVVIVA I BRANI SCOMPARSI QUELLI CON STRUMENTI DA RAI ..RAI VERO….
BUONA FORTUNA .
ET N’OUBLIE PAS DE SALUER DES PETITES DE MA PART…CIAO CIAO.
hICHAM.

slt khaled la veritè rien a dirs tu es vraiment le king et voila mon blog regarde une plus belle stp et laches les com http://khaled-and-ayoub.skyblog.com et laches les commentaire stp a lfin bon chanse sur ta vie a+ ayoub

Bonsoir! Khaled
Toujours chapeau à toi! continue et persévère.Moi je suis en Côte d’ivoire et je suis ivoirien et nous t’aimons beaucoup ici!
tu peux m’envoyer un e mail je veux creér un fan club ici pour toi.
Oumar

hallo:
ich bin eine tunesiches mädchen aus frankfurt am main/ deutschland.
Ich habe ein junge aus holland kennen gelernt..der sagte dass er sich mit ihnen gesungen hat??
er heißt mohamed elkatib aus algerien. Er kennt sie, ich weiß nicht, aber ich möchte wann ja ..eure gemeinsamen musik hören.
kennen sie ihn??
khaled..ich liebe ihre Musik besonderes Aicha..weil ich eine romantisches mädchen bin und liebe musik..was alles mit Liebe zu tun hat!!
naja also..alles Gute und möchte gerne von ihnen Antwort bekommen wann es geht???
danke..viel Glück im weiteren Zukunft!!
allah yahfdik ou yahmik et ykoun rabi m3ak!!
hanan

bonsoir khaled je suis une marocaine agée de 24 ans et je suis une grande admeratricce de votre music et votre voix .j ai apris tous votre chansson (di di..wahrane.bakhta .ext)je vous souhaite une bonne contuniation je vous aime .bon nuit a vous et avotre famille le roi du raye.

salt mes amis khaled est le roi de l’art du musik et e nos coeur
voila le forum du fan club veuillé s’inscrire invitation a tout lé fan du king

http://www.khaled-fan-club.c.la
(site en construction)
vous étes ché vous
vive le roi et sé fan adorable
alah akbar!!

khaled est le roi d’art de musik et de nos coeur
voila le site (forum) du fan club du king

http://www.khaled-fan-club.c.la
(site en construction)

enregistrer vous invitation ouverte a tout lé gen ki aime khaled a tout sé chér fan cé un espace de comunication d’amitié de musik d’art d’échange de bcccc de choz

vous éte chez vous

vive le king

salam o3alikoum chab khaled moi je suis de marocian tanskoun fe madint khourebga saraha rak 3ziz 3lina bazaf obrina nsam3o ljadid dyalak olah ihafdak lina ana lmohim 3ziz 3lik natsant lak man kount srer tal daraja les ames ma appel moi chab khaled ewa sabhalah lmouhim daba laehafdak lina dima khaled secccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc