Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great French lesson!, December 8, 2003
By A Customer
"Essence Ordinaire" is a very beautiful example of what (and how much!) contemporary French music can deliver. Bands like Mano Negra and Les Negresses Vertes in the late eighties opened the way for groups like Zebda in the nineties by bringing new blends of sounds to the public that reflect very much French society today. The music is a canvas of rap, reggae, rock, funk, ska and rai, creating a harmonious mix of influences from several geographic areas, and in particular North Africa. Before all, the beats are joyful and dynamic. But there is much more to Zebda than their great "hip shaking" beats and obvious musical talents, and that you can discover in their lyrics. If the music tells in many ways about their mixed culture of French-of-Arabic-descent-living-in-Toulouse, the words tell a lot about what the band stands for: equality, the fight against social and cultural gaps, integration and identity, self-reliance, positivism, political engagement against the infamous "extreme droite francaise", among other things... The band's writer and representative, Magyd Cherfi, has a quiet sense of humor and irony. The lyrics are fun and serious at the same time and, even when the reality that he talks about seems dark and unfair, it is always told with lightness and sharpness. Zebda is a band of well-grounded, intelligent individuals with cold heads and warm hearts, a lot of enthusiasm, strength and perspective. Tout un programme!
I personally don't care for keg-party songs like "Tomber la Chemise", and I would not recommend that one (but it is good in its own style), even if it is the most famous Zebda hit so far. Listen to "Ca va pas etre possible", "Tout semble si..." (my favourite) and "Le Petit Robert", and enjoy!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Ordinaire" is anything but ordinary, February 16, 2000
By A Customer
I saw the video of "Y'a Pas D'Arrangement" on Air France; it was No. 2 on the Hit Parade (behind some Jamiroquai song.) To call them French rap would diminish their heavy north African musical influences.Rather, their music has an exotic, sinewy feeling over a danceable beat. I'm not familiar with the pop music scene in Europe, but I know there aren't too many bands like this in the U.S. Most of them would just get thrown in the "World Beat" section and left. That's too bad, because this sound is too good to be left hidden.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
much better than I expected, December 26, 1999
After reading the other reviews, I was a bit hesitant to buy this CD because I don't particularly like rap music. When I found it in a shop I couldn't resist the temptation (I knew track 2 was a big hit in France) and I'm very glad about this. I don't have any favourite song because the whole CD is great! It reminded me vaguely of Les Negresses Vertes, with the typical French sound combined with a subtle and very pleasant Arabic feel to it. These guys not only rap, but they can also sing. Excellent music to dance to, and a shame Amazon doesn't offer the chance to listen to tracks (but don't let that stop you from buying it).
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