Emily: I learn something new every single time I listen to an album for this blog. Never is this more apparent than with world music. Though I do enjoy the Putumayo CDs that play on repeat at my job, I had never been introduced to raï before today. For the uninformed and curious, raï is a genre of Arabic, Algerian folk music. Khaled is one of the modern kings of raï. He infuses traditional instruments and melodies with modern Western influences. This sentiment comes together perfectly on my favorite track from the album, a cover of John Lennon’s Imagine. With lyrics sung in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, Khaled takes a song that has been covered a million times over and still makes it his own, fusing raï with pop and West with Middle East.
Favorite Tracks: Imagine; Aâlach Tloumouni; El Aâdyene
Zack: We were well overdue for a “world music” album, but looking at the list is so intimidating that we kept pushing it off. Finally, the day arrived when we could not possibly postpone any longer, and we picked (mostly by random) Kenza by Khaled. There was really very little thought put into it, but looks like luck was on our side. Kenza was an enticing blend of different genres, instruments, and cultures. It has a uniqueness that even managed to shine through while covering the iconic song Imagine by John Lennon. Certain songs are so big that for an artist to really make it their own in any way that isn’t terrible always catches me off guard. Kenza, after a while, was so impressive that I think I may not wince at the thought of reviewing the next world album. Or maybe I’ll just leave it at a slight grimace. Baby steps.
Favorite Tracks: Imagine; Leïli; E'dir E'sseba
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