Customer Reviews

Raoui

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This is a reissue of her chart topping first release, with three extra bonus tracks, two of which are pleasent surprises, while the third is an editied version of a previously recorded song.
What distinguishes Massi from many other 'World' music artists is her beautiful voice..It is simply heavenly, strong and full of emotions, while the music is truly universal. It is a blend of oriental and folk a la Tracy Chapman,with a touch of rock and reggae.The mood of the CD is mellow, and Massi shows her obvious talent at writing songs that are intimate, and very accessible.
Massi like many Algerian artists living in France, sings with a lot of passion for her country,lamenting the war,(Bledi) but also offers the listener very personal songs about her roots,(Raoui) about love,(Hayati) illusions,(Denya and Awham) betrayal (Khsara Alek, Nekrah Alkeb) and longing,(the sweet lullybye (Matibkeech) .
The reissue has a duet with the excellent Ismael Lo, recording the brillaint Bernard Lavillier song Noir et Blanc, as well as duet with Marc Lavoine, singing his own song Paris, and adding a lot of spirit to it.
In short, you have to BUY this CD if you really like a music that is very original, sensitive, and fresh, and even if you do not understand the words, I am sure Massi's voice will carry each word like music that will touch you every single time.

This is the second album I have heard by the reknown Souad Massi (of Algeria). This was actually her first major release in the United States (2001). "Raoui" ("Storyteller" in Arabic) is a mix of acoustic accompaniment, expressive rock and soulful duets.

While "Deb" (her 2004 release), is more of a fusion piece (done masterfully and with great energy), "Raoui" is rooted more in the traditional and haunting sounds of Algeria. We hear the melodious guitar introduction and then Souad's soaring vocals. In some ways, the tone of her voice is comparable to Shakira (without the edge). She sounds like she is trying to choke back the tears and cry out in sweet release. Great examples of her musical interpretation are on the title track, "Noir Et Blanc" ("Black and White" in French--a duet with Ismael Lo), "J'ai pas de temps" ("I Don't Have the Time"/French), and "Lamen" ("Trust" in Arabic).

More English speakers should get to know this underrated and underappreciated vocalist from North Africa. This is a great introduction to the world of contemporary Algerian ballads, rock and gorgeous musical arrangements.

If people have any knowledge of Algerian music it is usually through the very commercial pop of (Cheb)Khaled. In France Rai music is a popular form of dance music- a bit like Banghra in the UK. Massi's album is very different from the up-tempo pop of Rai. This is Algerian folk music. Most of the songs are quite slow, although one or two really crank it up a notch. The lyrics, some of which are in French and the rest of which are translated into French on the sleeve, are beautiful although usually quite sad- related as they are to the political difficulties in Algeria. The Oud, the distinctive instrument of much of Arab music, is ever-present here. The song 'Bladi' is exceptionally good. If you like this album check on Idir's album 'Identites'.

This is the second album I have heard by the reknown Souad Massi (of Algeria). This was actually her first major release in the United States (2001). "Raoui" ("Storyteller" in Arabic) is a mix of acoustic accompaniment, expressive rock and soulful duets.

While "Deb" (her 2004 release), is more of a fusion piece (done masterfully and with great energy), "Raoui" is rooted more in the traditional and haunting sounds of Algeria. We hear the melodious guitar introduction and then Souad's soaring vocals. In some ways, the tone of her voice is comparable to Shakira (without the edge). She sounds like she is trying to choke back the tears and cry out in sweet release. Great examples of her musical interpretation are on the title track, "Noir Et Blanc" ("Black and White" in French--a duet with Ismael Lo), "J'ai pas de temps" ("I Don't Have the Time"/French), and "Lamen" ("Trust" in Arabic).

More English speakers should get to know this underrated and underappreciated vocalist from North Africa. This is a great introduction to the world of contemporary Algerian ballads, rock and gorgeous musical arrangements.

Depicting the melancholic tone of an Algerian urban story teller "Raoui", Souad Massi opened her second album with a heart wrenching tune consisting of nothing more than the sweetness of her voice and an a gently finger plucked acoustic guitar.

Massi is one of Algeria's most authentic and daring new artists, her work is a live example of how a musician can borrow from the sounds of foreign cultures and combine with his/her own roots to create a completely new direction that manages not to compromise the innovation of the new nor the authenticity of the old.

The album featured songs about different subject; while Bledi showed Massi's deep rooted passion for her adored Algeria, she delved into more into personal reflection with Hayati and Awham singing about illusions and a lover's betrayal, and extreme longing in Khsara Alek, Nekrah Alkeb and the sweet lullaby Matibkeech.

While some of the songs featured Algerian traditional instruments, the element of funky modern guitar and bass carried the rest of the album. And Massi, who is also an accomplished guitar player, made her presence very noticeable with some unusual rhythms and melody progressions.

Souad Massi is a good sign that reassures faith in the existence of exceptional talents in the Arab world, and the fact that she has established a decent fan base in Jordan and the Arab world, although her work receives virtually no promotion in the region, is a valid proof that our listeners do in fact seek quality and are not completely under the control of dogmatic commercial mass production and promotion. Massi should be taken as an incentive to all Arab musicians who try to present original material that doesn't follow the junk food standards of modern Arabic pop.

I can't get this CD out of my player. Every time I reach for the eject button, I hit play. Beautiful, sweet ballads, unique, catchy arrangements, gorgeously evocative vocals.

You can feel the homesickness for her native Algeria in "Bladi." The driving arrangement of the uptempo gnawa-like "Amessa" shows the influence of her tenure in "Atakor", the popular Algerian hard-rock group whose music and performances got her fired from her government job. The wonderfully spare "Raoui" with only her voice and guitar. The range of expression and musical influences on this album is amazing.

Buy this CD. You won't regret it.

This is a beautiful acoustic CD. I gave this CD with Azam Ali's "Portals of Grace" to both of my mothers for Christmas and they loved them both. Massi's voice in this CD is beautiful, like a silk ribbon in the wind, but with expert control. I love "Raoui", "Matebkiche", "Hayati", and "Nekreh El Keld". I have this CD and "Honeysuckle". I like this CD better,, but the other one is great too. I still have to get "Deb" and "Mesik Elil".

This is a recording that intrigues and impresses and burns slowly until you come back to it and play it again, and over and over again - at least, that's the effect it had on me. It is the wonderful multicultural music, as well as Massi's crystal-clear, melodic, often melancholy voice, that appeals so powerfully. She sings in Arabic, yet you instantly feel a connection, and long to know the specific verbal meanings of the songs. The lyrics are printed inside the album - in French when I bought it a year or two ago, though now I understand the copies on sale on England have them in English. But the French is not that difficult - the words are simple yet profound, clearly influenced by singer-songwriters of a Western folk tradition even though sounding so Arabic. Songs about love, about the state of her own country Algeria, about the world - understated and oblique like much good poetry.
Only one thing recently has been better than listening to Souad Massi's cds, and that was seeing her live - where the music and the whole performance is so vibrant and exciting. On stage, Massi's musical multiculturalism extends to the way she welcomes her musician friends on to the stage and sometimes vacates it for them. These include rock musicians as well as practitioners of the oud and other Middle Eastern instruments. The best introduction to her music remains this first album. This is the one that turned me into a fan - and a dedicated enough one to go and see her backstage after the concert! Look out for a forthcoming interview for www.3ammagazine.com, which she agreed to! And listen to this album. Massi first sang with a highly popular rock band in Algeria. She received death threats after the troubles in that land began in the 1990s. She was invited to appear at a concert in Paris, and has stayed on ever since.
"If I stopped speaking out", she says. "that would mean all the intellectuals they murdered had died in vain."

All hail Amazon.com for making this fantastic CD available to the US market! Saoud Massi is a bright young French Algerian singer now living in Montmartre. Her guitar work, her voice, her songs themselves have set her apart on the folk roots, world music scene as an artist to be reckoned with. By comparison, her North American sisters pale as poseurs, be they Alicia Keyes, Idia.Arie or the shrill or self consciously poetic songwhiners. This is a woman with something to say and the sophistication to get it across.

Like Rokia Traore and Huong Thanh, she is infused with the wealth and the subtleties of her culture, yet confidant enough to advance its treasures through her own voice. The crack musicianship surrounding her is absolutely perfect on every tune. This is the kind of soul and spirit that Bonnie Raitt summoned early on, and you'll find with Massi that she has that same sense of strength, passion, vulnerability and resolve to be her own woman. Songs are in French, but there is that Middle Eastern smokiness to the vocals, a sensual and ... line to the guitar work, and a rhythmic intensity to the bottom end that makes this music get under you, inside you, possess you. Miles once said he made music for "copulating", in all its sensual and spiritual ramifications, and so is this.

Absolutely, purchase this CD. I first heard a tune from this on a sampler from fROOTS magazine, an absolutely essential publication for anyone whose need for genuine music exceeds what is programmed in North America. With one deft release, Saoud Massi has made the sirens of the US record industry totally and categorically irrelevant. This is music that matters. Get it.

Heard Bel El Madhi (The Gate Of The Past) from the DEB CD on Link.TV and was intrigued by the wonderful melody. Bought the CD. Loved it. Bought the other three CDs that have been issued by this great Algerian group (including Raoui). Even bought some more to give to friends. THis lady has an absolutely wonderful, clear, crisp and sultry voice.