Customer Reviews

Rock El Casbah: The Best of Rachid Taha

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You simply have not heard "Rock the Casbah" till you've listened to Rachid Taha's brilliant rendition! Too bad all international relations aren't well cross-pollinated. This artist's work has become more difficult to obtain, the superb album "Tékitoi" is hard to find, and any Taha is better than none. I only wish this had the marvelous song "Tékitoi," or the seminally sensuous "Garab" from the album "Made in Medina."

Imagine walking in hot sun, dust and desert cloaking your skin, with the sinuous "Bent Sahra," or sly Gallic "Voila Voila" bubbling in your ears. The cowboy-hat attired Taha brings the gravely weight of a thousand and one imagined beds to his vocals. This man exlores faith, music, identity, and universal unspoken languages and share his creativity with the rest of the world.

Rachid Taha's music always is cutting edge and introduces numerous cultural elements from places you wish you could visit or experience but maybe just never have had the chance. This collection brings together many songs from his previous releases and is a very satisfying adventure of both the recognizable and eclectic. I particularly enjoy covers of hit songs sung in a language I don't understand but which is somehow recognizable the minute you hear the music. If you think you might like some world music sounds with a distinct Arab-rock influence -- I would buy this CD and kick back with your favorite hookah and enjoy....

I looked up Rachid Taha because of his work on the "Black Hawk Down" soundtrack (like many other folks, it seems) and was pleasantly surprised to find multiple songs equally appealing as "Barra Barra" in his repertoire. The combo of hard-edged rock and North African instrumentation is well done.