Reviews (page 6 of 7)
It seems alright but I can't get into it Will I listen to again: 0%
Ah this ain't for me at all.
Not my style
This kind of music is tough for me. Like a lot of folk styles, Raï sometimes leans into a disco vibe, and when it does, I just can’t get into it. There were a few songs on the album that really clicked with me, but there was also a lot of that disco stuff I didn’t like. And that cover of ‘Imagine’? It just didn’t work for me. The two stars I gave are just for the few ‘original’ songs I actually enjoyed.
I think the album is nice enough, alot of the songs sound fairly generic to me, a lot of Indian cinema music sounds like this too. The imagine cover being a part of the album rubs me the wrong way. Like ok theres a million mediocre British alt-rock albums on the list and you needed something ethnic for diversity so u throw this in. Bffr it has imagine on it and seems fairly influenced by western music. Lucas u were talking ab how u give points for things being like creative or genre defining-- I feel like there are just better things that could be put on the list, and if ur not gonna put something novel and exciting, omit it altogether. Like imo an arabic album on here it should be representative of Arab music in the same way Heaven or Las Vegas is of shoegaze yk, and I highly doubt this album is like that. Especially considering how blank the wikipedia page is.
I'm not sure that this belongs on this list. It has its highs (El Harba Wine) and lows (Imagine) but overall leaves no impression.
Not fir me
I can definitely appreciate this kind of music in small doses, but a full album of this is too much for me.
weird flex but ok nnn
This is pretty interesting, especially when it’s more based in what sounds like the authentic, traditional styles of Khaled’s home region. The first track rules, then the tracklist is pretty up and down with more generic pop bits and more fiery pieces taking turns. Can’t say I’d consider it a must-listen.
Fine for about 30 minutes but then gets a little grating. Considering the album is around 1 hour 15 it just drags soooo long. 4/10
2.5/5
nu e disponibil
It stupidly triggers me when the albums given are not on the main streaming devices because it selfishly takes me longer blah blah boohoo…. But anyways this wasn’t bad. I thought it was extremely different from what I ever listen to but it was diverse within itself. Some songs I was pushed away from just because of simple preference and lack thereof, but others I was intrigued. I can definitely recognize why this album would be on this list at all…
(struggled through a YouTube playlist, not on Apple Music) While the vocals take some adjustment for these limited Western ears... I have to say the music on the first cut ("Aâlach Tloumouni") surprised me with a great groove utilizing those middle eastern quarter tones that I don't usually appreciate or even enjoy. But after that ....whooo....that Imagine cover is like being in a dentist chair in an endless elevator..and it got cheesier from there....what are we doing here?? idk, there were a few bits of coolness in hear but overall it's so far from anything I enjoy.... I'd take track 1 and then chalk the rest up to the equivalent of a layover in Budapest. 3/10 2 stars
Never heard this before. Not sure why this album is on this list. Has never received better than average ratings, has poor record sales, and is not influential or groundbreaking. It doesn't seem to be anything more than Arabic-flavored pop at mid quality. At least there's a really bad version of Imagine on the list.
Was really enjoying this up until about the 45 minute mark then it started to drag big style. Some really catchy songs but it massively outstays its welcome.
Categorie wereldmuziek, uit de 90s. De eerste tonen brengen ons gelijk naar de Arabische wereld. Het doet me ook wel denken aan filmmuziek, als Lara Croft naar een schat op zoek gaat in een verloren stad in de Sahara ofzo. Aan de andere kant is dit typisch van die muziek die op zondagochtend om 10.00 uur wordt uitgezonden bij de VPRO vanuit het muziekgebouw aan t IJ, van die artiesten waar normale mensen nog nooit van gehoord hebben. Ik vind het gebruik van de instrumenten keurig gedaan, wat ik zeg het zet een sfeer neer en dat is fijn. Het blijft altijd wennen aan de jengelige en klagerige zang. Dat zal best bij de stijl of het genre horen, ben benieuwd of het met een cleane zang ineens heel anders zou klinken. Sommige nummers klinken heel ouderwets, andere nummers juist weer lekker modern en hip. De soort van afwisseling houdt het album interessant, al is het uiteraard aan de veel te lange kant. En dan heb ik het zelfs al opgeknipt in 2 luistersessies. Leuk dat de snobs dit opnemen in de lijst, maar het is wel weer ultiem snobberig om dan niet het album met megahit Aicha te pakken. Door de lengte van dit album heb ik geen zin om dat album ook nog eens te luisteren en te kijken of de keuze gerechtvaardigd is. Nee, ik ben lekker selectief verontwaardigd om de snobkeuze en dat kost onze Khaled een puntje.
Album 600 of 1001 Khaled -Kenza (1999) Rating : 2 / 5 Another where the language barrier (Arabic) keeps me from getting the full experience. There was a nice cover of 'Imagine'. Glad I listened but not one I'll go back to.
Couldn’t finish soz
njae du. det är inte bara kasst och man får väl vara lite positiv för att det inte bara är västerländsk musik
Albumi #106, 11.11.2024 Khaledia luonnehditaan raï-musiikin kuninkaaksi. Raï-musiikki on algerialaista perinnemusiikkia, johon on otettu vaikutteita länsimaisesta pop-musiikista. Kenza on vuonna 1999 julkaistu albumi, joka on nimetty Khaledin tyttären mukaan. Albumin kappaleet on kahta lukuunottamatta laulettu arabiaksi. Levyltä löytyy myös raï-sovitus John Lennonin Imagine-kappaleesta.
A bit to annoying for 3 starts but I'm sure people somewhere love it
This was very mixed. I enjoyed the funkier tracks, but the cheesy, wet pop tracks were just awful. Hand the album was a solid⭐⭐⭐, half the album was ⭐, so it gets ⭐⭐ overall.
Not my vibe but had some funk
I'm not one for lyrics, but at times I would've liked to know what he's saying. I feel like I should be at some swanky hookah bar wearing a lot of gold chains in a very dry, arid climate while listening to this. Also, I'm pretty sure I heard a track from Disney's Aladdin movie on it.
I enjoy the Middle Eastern music at the root of this, but this album feels too poppy and hybridized. Khaled apparently has a long and storied career… I wonder if some of it is more traditional. I think I would enjoy that more.
but here's the yawner
Orientalische geprägtes endlos langes Album. Es ist definitiv nicht meine Musik. Einzige Lichtblicke sind die wenigen französischen Songs sowie die interessante Fassung von “Imagine”.
I´m not used to this kind of music but it´s a nice change from the recent albums. Musically O.K. But the album is way too long. 2,5
Interesting sound. Not my wavelength.
i feel like im watching the drama shows my mom and aunt used to watch when i was a baby. then my dad comes in to have a little dance break with imagine by john lennon and then we go back to watching more arab drama shows
Track 1: Aalach Tloumouni (5/10) I have no frame of reference for this type of music, and I'm not entirely sure if I like it. Dude's got a pretty good voice though. Track 2: El Harba Wine (6/10) I like the female vocals, goes well with the male vocals. Track 3: C'est la Nuit (7/10) French! I understand this kind of! Very cool, I like this one. Track 4: Imagine (2/10) Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahahahahahahaha Track 5: Trigue Lycee (4/10) I truly don't know how to feel about this album at this point lol it's okay I guess but not really my thing Track 6: E'Dir E'Sseba (4/10) I can't even review this lol Track 7: Ya Aachkou (2/10) No thank you, I hated this one lol way too poppy Track 8: Melha (3/10) I just find this really comical honestly Track 9: Raba-Raba (?????) Overall: 3/10 So I listened to the whole thing but I had to abandon my usual track by track format cause I have nothing to say about this. It's not that it was bad but I have no idea how to rate something like this so I'm just gonna leave it at that. Fav Song: C'est la Nuit Least Fav Song: Imagine
Hmm, not for me.
Algerisk popmusik, et par covers, og et par gode melodier indimellem
May be culturally enjoyed by some. Not for me.
Holy shit that Imagine cover was dreadful lmfao. This album was okay, a lot of dreadful songs on here, but some were okay in my books, I even liked E'Dir E'Sseba and El Bab. An almost 80 minute runtime fucking killed me though. I can't in good conscious give this more than a 2, because I was so fucking over this by about the 9th song. An absolute slog, I could bare differentiate one song from another, apart from Imagine, obviously. Cut this album in half and remove the filler and you'd probably have a pretty solid album. Unfortunate it didn't pan out that way. The absolute lowlight of this album for me was that screeching woman's voice which sounded exactly like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWO5J_DIK84
I was prepared to give this a 3 for being something I could appreciate but wouldn't be sure if I would regularly listen to. However holy shit this felt so long. Not just in terms of the total runtime but each track individually felt like it went longer than it needed to. That being said, very thoughtful of him to name this album after his 2nd daughter. You can tell this guy must really love his family
I enjoyed this album when it stuck to it its less poppy side. But honestly I was just waiting for this one to end. My idea of purgatory is being stuck in an infinite Uber ride and this is what is playing in the background. This can never hope to achieve anything higher than a 2/5 because of the Imagine cover. Highlight for me was Ya Aachkou, I would definitely try my best to hold my vomit in if this came on in an uber.
All over the place.
……
I struggled with this one a bit - rai music is new to me, and to be honest it isn’t to my taste. Also, this felt like it had a lot of 80’s and 90’s production values with big power ballad feels. I wasn’t a big fan. But I’m glad I’ve been introduced and can try other artists to see if they feel more with me.
This album was hard to find and then went on and on and on, but I listened. I would not let it defeat me. The director songs were cool and then it was just same ol same ol. Bright spot: great horns.
This is a seriously odd inclusion by all accounts. Not doubting Khaled’s influence (simply because I’ve never heard of him before), but this album has very little critical acclaim from western music press and even less immediately identifiable innovation. I suppose you could say the fusion of Algerian Rai with everything from Rhumba rhythms to John Lennon’s “Imagine” (an atrocious rendition btw) is the album’s main gimmick. And at points it pays off - but very rarely. What you get instead is a record which is completely half-baked, and only the most lickspittle of western do-gooder would rave about this record to soothe their white man’s burden. In truth, it sounds absolutely gash for the most part, and would have been an anachronism even if it had been produced 30 years before it was actually released. I’ll give it props for its ambition but it’s time to stop this fetishistic approval of all music from outside our Anglo-centric cultural sphere. There is some seriously great, pioneering music from the Arab world, and this is categorically not one such example.
Obviously very different. This really isn’t my genre but it was nice being exposed to it; I wouldn’t have listened had it not been for this list.
Mostly annoying
I couldn’t like this album less without hating it. 2 stars.
I am usually open to discovering new music from different parts of the world, but I could never get behind this particular type of vocal delivery; it just sounds annoying to me. I tried to be open-minded while listening to this, but the vocals were so dominant that they took over everything else. There were a couple of passable tracks, like 'Cest la nuit', but generally speaking, I did not enjoy listening to this album. There's a nice message hidden in 'Imagine' considering who's singing it, but the cover itself is... bad. I'll leave it at that. 1.5 stars
This was way funkier than I imagined it would be going on, but 15 tracks at 5 minutes each is a lot to get through
À la première chanson je m'attendais à quelque chose qui allait complètement me surprendre et dépasser mes attentes. Mais malheureusement plus l'album avançait et plus les idées commençaient à se fatiguer. L'instrumentation midi devenait de plus en plus cheap et répétitive. 5/10
..
If I cannot get a link to listen to this, I cannot rate it. Sorry Khaled. I'll give you +1 so I feel I am not being a dick
A pretty funky album. As with a few previous comments I had nothing to reference this against. Iver all not too bad
I lived to experience it. Box checked. Next please.
When you’re 15 minutes into a mediocre Algerian pop album and you get hit with an Imagine cover :S Probably in the album’s favour that I don’t understand the lyrics.
WTF is Imagine doing here, stop letting John Lennon win he doesn't deserve it. Otherwise it was *fine* I guess, I don't have much to compare it to.
Felt like I was journeying across the desert while trying to track down all the songs to this album. Ended up having to listen to terrible quality CD rips on YouTube that negatively affected my enjoyment. Album was fine. Suffers from the CD era issue of making albums a little too long. Also did not need the cover of Imagine. The strings and diversity of sounds included were good.
I liked the French songs somewhat more than the Arabic songs.
This is 💩. It's dull and super long The first 4 songs almost ruin it as a listening experience, but after that it gets upbeat and comes to life. I almost wonder what the potential would be if you took away the first 20 mins. But they are there and they absolutely suck
It's not terrible, but hard to believe this is the creative peak of the genre. It was a big commercial succes, of course. I think they wanted to include something arab-ish and didn't know anything else. Favorite song: Derwiche tourneur
In principe is die muziek natuurlijk nog wel geinig. Je hoort het niet vaak, het klinkt exotisch enzovoort. Dat de zanger zingt in een taal die je niet verstaat is in principe ook nog niet zo'n ramp, maar de manier van zingen is wel heftig. En dat is meteen de reden dat ik dit nooit uit mezelf zou aanzetten. En dan op track 2 bijvoorbeeld al die nasale Minnie Mouse erbij. Of op track 4 die armzalige Imagine cover. Het lastige is ook dat ik geen referentiekader heb, dus ik kan niet zeggen of deze gast beter of slechter is dan z'n collega's. Voor mij zit dit ook een beetje in een soort Berk Music Productions hoek vreemd genoeg. 'Bij ons op het kamp' Arabië editie. Enorm commercieel volgens mij. Ik geef een strenge 2. Er gebeuren wel leuke dingen zoals de sitar(?) solo in 'Ya Aachkou' en ik heb toch nog steeds liever dit dan Astrud, maar ik heb hem niet helemaal uitgezeten. Een uur en 18 minuten wordt mij te gortig en ik ben bang dat de buurvrouw de AIVD belt als ik hem integraal luister.
En god håndfuld earworms men også bare sådan lidt… idk kliché mellemøstlig musik med pop elementer? Top 3 værste imagine covers jeg har hørt, men for at være fair tror jeg aldrig, at jeg har hørt et godt cover af imagine
Meget svært at dømme når man ikke har megen kendskab til mellemøstlig musik. Virkede ufatteligt lang. Bedste imagine cover siden de kendte gjorde det under Covid..
While it has a good beat, I don't understand a single word.
One of those that is discovered by this process that would never have otherwise be found. It jollied along, albeit at a bit too long. Nobody should hear Imagine again in any form though.
There’s a Bollywood influence to the music that I appreciate. There’s some great horn playing throughout the record. I don’t like this version of “Imagine” and by the halfway point I was over the initial sense of wonder and became bored. There are some standout musical moments that are drowned in an album that’s too long. 2.5/5
I honestly wasnt paying attention. Yeah im pretty neutral about this
Already hate that I need to listen to a Youtube created playlist of this song by song. This just isn't for me. Not bad or anything, just not for me. Some of the instrumentals are solid. High 2.
Pop music is boring in any language.
I am not a fan of the oriental singing style and instruments. So this album is not for me subjectively, and I have too little contact with this kind of music to be able to judge it objectively. So subjectivity it is!
I'm unsure if I actually listened to everything from this album, as the playlist on YouTube said a song was unavailable, but song titles seem to be slightly different between language barriers, so I couldn't tell completely. That being said, I think I got the general picture just fine, and my main takeaway is that I just don't like this vocal style. I know it seems to be the main vocal delivery of a lot of middle eastern (is that insensitive? I'm ill-informed on what's correct there, so I'm sorry) singers, but it just feels stereotypical and annoying. Perhaps that comes from Hollywood using songs that sound like this album whenever characters are in the desert, and those settings annoy me, so maybe it's an association thing? Who knows, I just know this album isn't saved no matter what for me, as the instrumentation is so aggressively western that it sounds ripped straight out of the 80s. Issue is that it is from 1999, and lacks any decent hooks to actually get me grooving along. Not to mention the terrible runtime of seventy-five minutes, and you've got yourself a release that could only ever be known by me, a guy sitting in the middle of the USA listening to this, because some British guy thought it was an album I had to listen to before I died. It is not, and wasting my time on it made me annoyed. However, the album is actually better than I expected still, with enough interesting moments to at least keep it entertaining at points. An Imagine cover that is same-y but not bad, some genre switch ups such as a French ballad or a Spanish guitar inspired dance track, it definitely is unique in the fact that it is trying to be something. That something may be appealing to as many people as possible, which means it appeals to no one because I'd rather listen to ANYTHING else, but I have to give it a little credit. However, you will understand the gist of this album via a couple of the first tracks and maybe a song here or there. In no world should you sit through all of this, and considering the album ends with that same French ballad AGAIN with very little noticeable change (it's in Arabic now, but it seems the chorus is still in French?) makes it so sticking around until the end is just a waste. This album was destined to be some niche thing never known across the world, and it still isn't, but Robert Dimery tried, and failed, to make it something known in 2005. But he was wrong, and I can't look past that when it is the only reason I spent my Wednesday morning listening to it. It just isn't worth the time of day.
Seven years before *Kenza*, Khaled hit the charts with the catchy and animated single "Didi", at least in the Arabic world, but also in the French mainstream billboard. Before that--that is to say before he decided to "westernize" his sound, recording in Europe and the States--he was already a living legend in the Algerian "raï" genre. And his crossover success in 1992 was quite memorable in France, where many immigrant communities originally hailing from North Africa live. Four years later, he found commercial sucess again with ballad "Aïcha", another crossover hit in the French pop charts written by the cheesy-yet-proficient novelty pop singer-songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman. I feel extremely weird writing the latter's name on this app, by the way, since Goldman is a figure I guess my English-speaking colleagues in here have never heard about, and yet he is someone who has been famous nationwide in France since the early eighties. To return to Khaled, he kept trying to "modernize" the *raï* genre after those two hits, but never to the point where he would forget the commercial potential of his music. Raï has its purists, or so I hear. But it's a first and foremost a "popular" genre. So I guess you can't blame the Algerian singer because of that. All of this is to provide a bit of context for the people who have never heard of Khaled before. To be fair, and as objectively as I can try to be, selecting this 1999 album for such a list feels like being a latecomer to one of those North African community parties the "raï" genre is a popular ingredient of. It's always a little disappointing or laughable when Dimery and co. catch some trendy trains a little too late. It gives you the impression they're not really sincere or well-informed. Which takes the cake when most of your job is to write about music. About "Kenza": there are few standout tracks in this very "professional" record, and none of them is as memorable as "Didi" (even in a "bad" way, like "Aïcha" was). "El Harba Wine" feels nice thanks to the impressive Bollywood-inspired vocal contributions of British-Indian singer Amar. Electro-adjacent "Trigue Lycee" also has mesmerizing, UK-techno-inspired layers of synths. And, on the second half of the record, the more "traditional-oriented" tracks such as "Melha" and "Raba-Raba" have aged better than the dance music chessefest found in too many parts of the album. Interestingly, prog-rock and electronic stalwart Steve Hillage was involved in most of those more "traditional"-sounding cuts--evidence enough that Khaled's closer Algerian or French-Algerian collaborators didn't care much about "traditions" at this point. contrary to Hillage. This was for the assets of this record. Now the problem is that the album's flaws weigh heavier in the grand scheme of things. Placed in a pivotal point of the tracklist, towards the end of side one, the hackneyed, "now-that's-what-I-call-hits"- inspired danceteria of "E'dir E'sseba" and "Ya Aachkou" is borderline unlistenable today. Before that, another Jean-Jacques Goldman-penned cut named "C'est la Nuit" tries to reproduce the success of "Aïcha", to no avail. I just knew Goldman had written that song without checking the credits or even hearing Khaled's voice singing in French. Evidence enough as to how predictable and quaint that sort of Jean Jacques Goldman novelty shtick had become by 1999. Worse, the cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" found right after "C'est La Nuit" (and right before "E'dir E'sseba") reaches such high cornball levels on your cheese-o-meter that it's hard not to smirk at it with disgust. "Imagine" is already a tricky song to cover given how syrupy the original may sound to some ears (not mine, yet I can respect the feeling other listeners have about it). And here, in this particular cover, the instrumentation and production values are so bland and devoid of any true artistic flair that the whole endeavor becomes authentically sickening. I can relate to the original plan Khaled had to have verses sung by him in Arabic and others sung in Hebrew by Noa, an Israeli singer. A commendable initiative for sure. And yet here we are, 25 years later, where the disaster of terrorism and warfare, killing innocent people on a daily basis, rage on on both "sides" in the Middle East--with fanatics and crooked politicians routinely trampling human rights, murdering women and children, and fanning the worst sorts of extremist, pro-war sentiment there can be. Under that light, any benevolent feeling one can have towards this cover will soon evaporate and give way to cynicism, sadness or bitterness. This cover of "Imagine" didn't age well to say the least. Who knows? If that version had not been so quaint and corny, maybe more people would have listened to the message, at least. 🙃 Are all the bad things that have occured in this cursed area of the world since 1999 partly the result of Khaled's bad music tastes then? You tell me. Of course, I shouldn't laugh about anything even remotely related to the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It's just a tragedy. But at least, I can laugh at this cover and its terrible execution. Bad music is not as terrible and tragic as war and genocide, of course. So if anyone in here disagrees with me and still manages to find hope and beauty in this particular cover, more power to them. Me, I just can't. As I can't take the inclusion of *Kenza* in this list seriously. Not that it's important compared to far more serious topics and issues. It's just that it takes far more powerful music than this to either transcend said issues, or make you forget about them altogether. If you can't do one OR the other, it's a sure sign you shouldn't be in this list of "essential albums". 1001 is a finite number after all. 2/5, which translates to a 7/10 grade for more general purposes (5+2). Number of albums left to review: 157 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 364 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 213 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 270 (including this one)
Gouloulha-Dji // 1.5/5
I like the sound, but it gets way too poppy.
Not very interesting to me, sorry!
Instrumental is pretty good. Just not a big fan of the vocals
Presence on this list , imho, suggests one of three things: that an album is technically innovative, creatively imaginative, or simply capable of sparking joy in the heart of the listener. There isn’t anything wrong with Kenza. But, I fear, a rather anonymous piece of work. Nothing sharp, nothing new, indeed a little…boring, I suppose. (It might be that he is a magical presence on stage. Indeed, I can quite imagine this. But that’s a different matter altogether.)
I listened to the one song available on Spotify. I liked that it was different from my normal music, but not album im going to seek out elsewhere
Nice change of pace, but not something I will ever listen to ever again. "C'est la nuit" is a beautiful song.
The upbeat stuff was fun. That imagine cover though
Good singer, upbeat songs, instruments in the back are good just don’t understand the language so that disconnects me from it
I don’t understand why this is on the list. There must be better albums in arabic
meh, not really into this style of music. Not saying it's bad. I'm sure there are wide swathes of the world where this is the jam and more power to them.
I feel like I've heard this a lot in taxis when I was in the middle east in the early noughties. I didn't enjoy it then and I didn't enjoy it now - I think it also feels a bit tokenistic to just include a few random 'world music' albums in the 1001.
Jeg troede aldrig jeg skulle høre Imagine på arabisk. Man kan stadig overraskes. Dog overrasker det mig ikke at albummet her ikke fanger mig. Min musikalske opdragelse ligger udelukkende i vestligt funderede genre. Så de mellemøstlige tone på dette album gør ikke noget for mig. Det er ikke decideret frastødende. Det siger mig bare ikke noget.
How nice of them to choose Algerian music that is so influenced by Western Pop that it mostly sounds faceless.
not familiar with the genre and culture, seems generally harmless but dated
Only one song available on Spotify, but it was catchy. Not sure if a whole album would be my thing, though.
Não foi uma opção de fato interessante de música africana. Nem mesmo a versão de Imagine.
I had to listen to this on YouTube, which always starts me off on the wrong foot. There were a few cool songs on this album, but that Imagine cover was brutal.
I couldn’t find a complete edition of this Algerian music. Started off good with a traditional sounding song which was pretty cool but when it turned into a pip album It started to annoy me after the 4th song.
Leave off mate
Fun sounds
el Khaled bueno
Always loved this stuff in my younger years. Approachable but too polished. I like the old stuff
I like his voice and the music is varied and fun. Not going to be a staple in my shuffle, but a decently entertaining listen.
Not really my kind of album but I did like the cover of imagine.
Appreciate this is out of my comfort zone and frame of cultural reference. He does put a lot of energy into it and seems like it could be a good poppy album if I was more engaged. Imagine seems like a parody from a bad movie. 2
Didn't click with me.
This was ok. I appreciate world music but this one didn’t do a whole lot for me.
Not really for me. Some cooler disco sounding tracks, but not really my thing.
Khaled is most known for being a larger than life figure in the sphere of Rai music. For those who don't know, Rai music is a type of folk music that originated from Algeria in the early 1900s and became an outlet for political commentary and social commentary. These Rai artists rejected the traditional aspects and expectations of arab society. Lots of cool history with the music genre itself. As for this album, it's really more Rai-pop than pure Rai music. The instrumentals are very influenced by western genres that were popular at the time, such as hip-hop. It really takes away from the history and importance of Rai, and at this point just sounds dated. Oh, and that Imagine cover, oof.
Not really my thing.
A bit of a mixed bag. This started well, and some of the more traditional and soul-tinged tunes (such as El Bab) here are lovely. But that version of Imagine added nothing to what is already an over-wrought song. 2.5/5.
I've no reference points to evalauate this with. Which sounds incredibly cold. But as a standalone piece of work, it means very little to me. I had to bail at Imagine, a song I don't like at the best of times.
could i write poetry to this? n
I'll most likely never listen to it again, but it does the job it set out to do. I don't like his singing style, but that's a cultural difference. I liked the guest vocalists more. The strings are great throughout. Probably 100 options for a Britney Spears Toxic style bop for Max Martin to pick from.
Not on spotify- had to find a random version on youtube that I think was missing a track. Props to the book author for including a record like this in the listings, but I couldn't figure out why this particular record was included. It didn't feel unique to any of the other middle eastern music I've heard. Some cool musical ideas in tracks like c'est la nuit. I enjoy the middle eastern a-a-a-a-a thing I heard a bunch, but overall it kinda felt like a drag.
I don't subscribe to Spotify so it took some time to listen to the songs in order. I can't believe this is on here and zero Tool albums are. Regardless, I did find myself dancing a bit to these songs.
If I want to listen to this kind of music, and believe me, I really don't, then I just go for a haircut here in the UK - where all of the gents salons have this playing whilst the football highlights are running
I was hopping to discover this kind of music, enjoyed the first couple of songs but then it became absolutely repetitive to the point I didn't even finished the album.
I mean, the one song that was available to listen to felt nice. 🤷🏻♀️
Pure pop is generally not my jam, and that holds here.
I am glad to have heard this, but I doubt I'd revisit it.
Listened Before? N Another one that's mostly not available on Spotify. I listened to the one song that WAS on there, and it's very interesting... I'll give it a bonus star. Added to Library? Can't Songs added to playlist: El Harba Wine
Very cheesy
This seems a little slickly produced and trying to bring in as wide an audience as possible. However, it was a great entry point for the artist and I have listened to his self titled album which seems more accomplished and exciting. I look forward to exploring his catalog and the Rai music genre.
Not a genre of music I've spent a huge amount of time listening to but honestly pretty good, I had no frame of reference on how good the vocals were but in the imagine cover they seemed on point. Lush strings, nice melodies, crisp percussion, the music puts you in a good mood. My biggest complaint would probably be that I felt like it stretched on too long. High 2.
Algerische Folk Musik, die von Kitsch "Imagine" bis Bollywood-artiger Musik reicht "Trigue Lycee"
It was okay, not really my bag
I only listened to one track. I can appreciate the style, but it’s not my particular style, nor do I care to listen to it.
I didn't hate it, it was just... different.
No pienso escucharlo entero.
A slog to be honest
The backing tracks are interesting. But quarter tone harmony gives me vertigo and this common mideastern vocal style sounds like someone complaining about something they ate while straining to push it out their arse.
Bletch. I would love to hear some actual Algerian or other middle eastern music. But this is just garbage pop sung in a style. And Imagine.... Jesus Christ what a bad version. I was wondering if he had the balls to say "No religion" and it appears he did that right... so. I don't know. There are moments on here that I like. The first track is actually really good. And some bits in the last 10% of the record are alright as well. But overall, this isn't good.
One of the reasons this list/website is cool is because you get to learn about albums that aren’t so well known. However, there comes a point where it becomes so difficult to find any version of the album that you wonder if maybe there’s a reason for that. Hidden gems aren’t hidden this well. I enjoyed the album. It wasn’t good, really. Whatever, I’m tired. 2/5
1999 год, национальная музыка. Я боялся что это будет DJ Khaleed. Но нет, это Халед Хадж Ибрагим. Я его знаю по песне "Аищя". Ну... Мне тяжело оценить. Верю, что это прорывные работы, как пишут в википедии, штуки, разрушающие устои ислама, потому порицаемые и осуждаемые. Но одно дело верить на слово и другое -- прочувствовать. Прочувствовать это я не могу в полной мере. Из-за манеры исполнения, из-за текста. Но это не один уже однозначно, слушается неплохо.
Impressions: Album was hard to find, listening on a YouTube playlist. I don’t know about this, it’s not in English, hard to judge. Favorite tracks: - Rating: 2/5
The interesting bits were too infrequent and not enough to carry the unwelcome pop-influenced stuff. What the hell was going on with that 'Imagine' cover?
I made it all the way through this one. Enough said.
Not something I'd actively seek out, but glad I listened. As an album, it's far too long, interesting mix of arabic rai with western pop, (obviously a Beatles fan), good start, lagging middle and picked up towards the end. 2.5
Ty Spotify for having this album
Nah. Better as a DJ.
not really for me?
Rijahd Gosling very nice instrumentals but I hated the vocals on every single track
It's kind of hard for me to rate this appropriately. This album is not available in the US and is hard to find. The best I could do was a playlist on YouTube, with videos mixed at different levels of differing lengths than the album tracks and interrupted every so often by ads. Tough to really get immersed in it.
It's alright, I guess. Just... kinda disappointing, really. The first several tracks promised something magical... and the rest of the album failed to deliver on that promise. It got progressively cheesier and lamer as the album went on. By the end I was so glad it was over.
Brani Preferiti: - "Gouloulha-Dji" Note: Non ho la minima idea sul come valutare questo album. Ho ascoltato molte canzoni arabe nella mia vita, ma questo è un genere tutto suo. Per il disco sono presenti dei momenti interessanti e generalmente parlando la base strumentale non è male.
Not available on apple music and only one song on Spotify. Sorry Khaled. Maybe in the future we will get, to quote a future namesake of yours, another one.
Always frustrating when we get an album that's not on Apple Music. Usually I take the time to piece it together from what releases do exist, but this one's really difficult to do since the titles are not in English. I listened to a different Kenza release from 1999 instead - I really don't know what kind of difference that makes, as the only noteworthy thing about this album on wikipedia is that it's included on this list. Not a good sign. Anyway the album I listened to had a couple cool tracks. It's a very specific style of music, apparently Algerian? I do like it, but a whole album length is a little tough for me. Getting this and the Shalimar soundtrack so close together really emphasize how hamstrung this listmaker was to pull in some international picks. Call of the Valley: incredible. These two: headscratchers to me. Favorite tracks: (can't pick any because I had to listen to a different album) Album art: Really like this shot a lot, makes me wish I had heard the right album because it just looks so cool. Guy is dressed like the '70s, in a car that's probably from the '70s too. I respect it. 2.5/5
Meh, the cover of imagine killed any hope I had for this album,
Spotify only had one song: "El Harba Wine". I'd characterize it as Middle Eastern Pop. It was nothing special so I am not going to chase down the other songs on YouTube or wherever. Not my thing but the guy can sing though so bonus point.
Some of the music was really good. Singing at times sounded like someone with low fiber diet on the toilet.
Never got to the point where I wanted to turn it off, but never really clicked either. Not the worst thing we've listened to but I'll never put it on again.
Leuk hor, dat raï. Maar als je aan Lennon komt en Imagine zo verkracht...
Aan energie ontbreekt het niet bij Khaled! Maar na een nummertje of 5 heb ik het wel een beetje gehoord. En als er dan ook nog een mierzoete versie van Imagine tegenaan gegooid wordt dan zit ik echt aan mn tax.
Ik vond dit kostelijk.
Not my cup of tea.
Not for me, this. Trigue Lycee was a pleasant enough listen, but none of the rest really stood out. Apart from the cover of Imagine, that was really, really painful. 2/5, Imagine nearly dragged it down to a 1 though.
# 55 : what? Who? Why? - The point of this whole list is to go out of your comfort zone and listen to some stuff you wouldn't choose to and this definitely fits the bill. A nice change of pace from some of the other albums we have heard so far.
It's cool to get an Algerian album but I really wasn't a fan for 90% of it. The first couple of tracks leading up to the imagine cover sucked and then it wasn't terrible for a little bit but then I just got sick of it after about 45 minutes. Combined with how much of a pain in the ass it was to listen to this album even on YouTube, this album is lucky to get a 2.
This was one is weird to rate. Did I enjoy it? Somewhat. Was it a bit long for what it was? Yes, but there was good variation. Does it need to be included on this list? Absolutely not. This author is a hack. Was it easy/fun to find? No, I did not enjoy playing Frankensteining this album together just to listen to it.
ummmm
This was difficult to find. What the hell does legendary guitarist Steve Hillage have to do with this? Bizarre.
Fave tracks: El Harba Wine, E’Dir E’Sseba, raba raba,derwich tourbeur ,leili Just not my thing at all 2/5
An easygoing album held back by my inability to understand the lyrics.
Really varied, and such hard to rate. Some of it was far too soft for my ears. Some decent tunes in there. Having Arab music on the radio frequently for the past 8 years had led to me being a bit over the stylings in general. Mele habiti is pretty decent though.
Interesting had no idea what they were saying but the music was enjoyable. Spotify limited me to only one track.
Only one song from this album was available on Spotify. I listened to it and a few of the top 5 that were available and it was definitely not my thing
I wanted to like it but the production and Polish just aren’t my taste
I dunno man, maybe it’s cultural bias or straight up xenophobia but I find his guttural tone so harsh and ugly. I don’t mind a lot of the production, I enjoyed C’est la Nuit and I think Imagine works. But the meat of this 2 hour album is unpleasant for me.
osea supongo que saber que esto existe me sirve,,, 6/10
First, I have to ask the editors here: of all the many millions of non English speaking albums out there, why is it, exactly, that you picked this one over everything else? As to the album at hand, the music is not too bad but it’s at more or less the quality of a middle eastern wedding soundtrack. Entertaining, to one extent or another, but that’s more or less it.
Well, it's pretty easy listening global pop, interesting to hear how Western textures and music programming infiltrate other genres. An inexplicable cover of Imagine however downgrades this from a three to a two.
I respect that this may be pretty progressive for it’s fine and place of release, but it didn’t really do it for me.
E’Dir E’Ssba is a jam despite what the critics say.
I didn’t hate this, but I couldn’t say I really enjoyed it either.
I didn't expect an Algerian disco on this list! I think it is fair to include it in here, especially with how popular Khaled is among the french/arabic speaking population (which in itself is pretty huge). Unfortunately, as a person from a different culture (especially in a musical way) I had a hard time enjoying this album. I'm not a fan of nineties disco or pop, and mixing it with a style so foreign for me just makes it too much of a leap in one go. I truly believe Khaled is a great singer and writer, but I think he would understand that's his music was not targeted at an audience like me.
wel van genoten, kon elk nummer wel waarderen, maar niets sprong eruit voor mij
Ik was heel blij om weer eens een keer iets anders te moeten luisteren, maar vond dit nog best wel tegenvallen. Al helemaal toen er ineens een cover van Imagine kwam?? Verder sommige nummers echt wel lekkere stukjes ertussen maar las ook een review dat het soms een plaat lijkt voor taxi-chauffeurs en dat snap ik dan ergens ook wel weer. 2,5
This Khaled album is hard to find. Good beats and production.
Someone loves this. Good for them.
Pretty generic and… elevatory…
Hard to understand the context, musically...okay, hate the imagine cover
Had a real hard time finding this in the US. As of Jan 2023, it's not on Apple Music, Spotify, or Youtube Music. Finally found some sketchy Youtube playlist, but the titles seem to match up to the Wikipedia track list. Youtube playlist is: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW1SZ9eAdf-J0VtCX71kBZwSpDw5jBIYN With that out of the way, really interesting album. Not my preferred style at all, but I found my toe tapping more than a few times. Worth a listen. But seriously, Imagine? Ugh.
An hour and eighteen minutes? I don't even want to listen to english language popular rock records for that long! Please, keep it to a tight 45 people. Who even has time for continuous listening longer than that? I mean, it's just not for me. I don't speak the language, and I'm a lyrics first listener. There's nothing here for me. The music is peppy though, I'll give it that. And dude got himself a dope album cover.
i wanted to like this sooo bad. but it kept doing one eighties! why whitney houston in india next to paul oakenfold lite next to a daft punk song next to a literal “imagine” by oakenfold? cohesion, my dude! sad.
DJ KHALED!!!! Another one!
Not for me
No pienso escucharlo entero.
I went into this with an open mind, wanting to enjoy something new but it just didn't gel. It didn't feel like an album, no connection so, sorry, it's a no from me.
Not my bag.
It all went downhill after track 1. The cover of ‘Imagine’ was pretty torturous. I imagined if was there was a world where it didn’t exist.
hard to have an opinion on this. nice to have a bit of world music, but it's not something i'd listen to again.
A couple of good songs but not something I’ll return to
E'Dir E'Sseba is a funky tune.
Arabische muziek. Niet zo mijn ding, maar wel leuk voor een keertje. Vooral de zangeres op sommige nummers en de poppie melodie van weer anderen. Helaas irriteert de Arabische spraakklank me teveel om het echt hoog te beoordelen. **
Dne on apple music :( unproductive at work and kinda weird vibes eating wise, but productive in home with laundry mail cleaning. Then killed at kickball but had a decent time
Arabic music? Well, it was much better than I expected. I’m glad I got to hear it. 2.5 / 5
Nope.
This was a pain to find to listen to, but that's not the artists fault. I didn't care for this much, but I didn't hate it. It had its moments but this is a genre I'm quite unfamiliar with, and in all honesty, will probably never get into. Perhaps this is a great for fans of the genre? I'll pass.
Interesting. I couldn't find the album on Spotify so I had to go with a Youtube playlist of the album and it sounded like it was mostly covers of other songs. Not sure if the songs I listened to were really a part of the album who knows.
Interesting to hear something completely unexpected, but I struggled to connect with it.
I'll give him this: His cover of Imagine is miles better than Gal Gadot's.
No clue what is being said. The sound is unique to my ears and sometimes catchy. Still not my thing though.
Es entretenido exponerse a música de otras culturas y oír los puntos en común. No es algo que volvería a escuchar, pero no estuvo mal
Not my thing but I could appreciate it. Too long
Not really my thing but it wasn’t an unpleasant listen
Good fun listen, man this dude is prolific!
Not for me.
Positiivinen ylläri et listalla on muitakin kuin vaan länsimaisia esittäjiä. Ihan hauskaa meininkiä, mut ei tätä toiste varmaan kuuntele.
Kind of odd, I guess not the sort of music I listen to usually. Some bits were nice.
No pienso escucharlo entero.
interesting percussion with heavy drums that seem to have a hip-hop influence. there's even some record scratching on "el bab"? great strings, many sharp stabbing runs and riffs. vocal melodies are good (especially second and final tracks) although blur together across the songs - perhaps exacerbated by language barrier. first track is great, "el aadyene" is funky, sounds like a mix of classic parliament and third wave ska. skipped the "imagine" cover. probably won't return for another listen: sits in an awkward position between being too familiar in it's western influence to be interesting from a world-music perspective, while the language barrier itself creates a disconnect that prevents it being simple "easy-listening" music.
Compared to the other offerings that are 'World Music' on this list - this is pretty bad. Probably great if you're Algerian. I'm not. Best Tracks: El Harba Wine; Trigue Lycee; Melha
I really like the timbre of Khaled's voice but two things really let this down - cheap-sounding production and a lack of memorable songs. A more sympathetic backing would elevate this more than exponentially. Perfectly listenable, but not my cup of mud, brutha.
The album is long. It is in a completely different language, Arabic, I think. The music itself sounded like pop music and it was upbeat. The version of Imagine was interesting and unexpected. I don't think I will be revisiting this album.
Stand out track - C’Est La Nuit
When this started I didn't think I would get through 1hr20mins of it. Rai is not a style of music that I particularly enjoy. If all 15 songs had sounded like the first then I would have definitely struggled. Luckily there was enough variation. The version of Imagine didn't work.
Oh good, I thought after the first track - bangra. I like bangra. But no, it got softer and softer until we get to an execrable version of Imagine. I won't be listening to any more of that.
Melha Arabic's has just arrived here. It’s kind of rare to see those kinds of albums on the list. Classifying types of different genres is always not an easy quest. Unlikely the cover there in the middle “Imagine”, calls your attention immediately when you first listen to the introduction. D
Ritmos y melodías árabes. Buena voz y melodías tranquilas. No me ha transmitido demasiado
omfg. 2?
I’m surprised an album that made 1001 albums would be so hard to find. Not available at all on Apple Music, and the YouTube link was to some random user’s video playlist. I guess the music was fine, but kind of a head scratcher on why this was included.
Not great rai. Rather inspid.
okay, the production is great, but it´s not for me and hard to listen to. Hard to rate, but it´s not total crap either.
I can't be the only person who said, "What the fuck is this?" when it popped up. I was disappointed that it was not on Spotify, so I had to listen to music on YouTube (yuck). It's not the best quality, but I am committed to not skipping any albums on this list. Anyway, first impressions... it kinda slaps, but I find it very irritating at times. The tracks are way too long. It starts off pretty fun, but the charm wears off very quickly. There are some enjoyable moments during these songs, but it's not enough to save this album as a whole. Not much else to say really, it speaks for itself. I have zero familiarity with this type of music anyway, so my opinion doesn't carry a lot of weight. Also, the "Imagine" cover is not that bad.
Läuft als Begleitmusik so durch.
Wasnt gone on it.
Starts off pretty good, but after the ill-advised cover of Imagine, it never really recovers.
Insallah
This album isn't on Spotify (minus El Harba Wine, banger) so I listened to a compilation someone made on YouTube - not an ideal or really even fair listening experience, but I figured no use in skipping this just to come back another time for the same thing. Enjoyable, unique, something I would never listen to if it wasn't for this site, but also nothing I'd likely come back to Already Saved: El Harba Wine*
No me gustó, se me hizo igual todo el álbum
Best Algerian cover of Imagine I’ve ever heard
Tat nicht weh, hat mich leider aber auch gar nicht berührt - bislang ist Rai offenbar nicht meine Musik. 1,9
What a great singer. He incorporates elements of pop and funk here and there which appeals with me alot more than other Arabic music I've heard. Nevertheless, this genre isn't for me. Half the album was forgettable, and the pop/funk sound was the only thing that kept me interested.
The opening song was great... and nothing else lived up to it (but a few at the end). Wasn't expecting that surprise John Lennon cover though lol.
Endlich Mal etwas anderes für die Ohren. Trotzdem keine höhere Bewertung. Es fehlt Aicha auf dem Album.
Not my thing
هذا ليس شيئًا لكني أطلب منك أن تضع في اعتبارك أنني أملك الألبوم الثاني لفرقة الراب outkast Although the version of imagine is tremendous 😂
First track started promisingly but quickly descended to warbly dross.
نغمة واحدة أو اثنتين جيدة
Had to turn it off
Background listenable (due to not knowing the multiple languages involved), but relatively bloated. Cool sound though, and liked each song individually, but as a project I would say this could of been shrunk down.
Conocía algunas canciones como Cheb Kheled pero nunca había escuchado un disco entero. La verdad es que nada más empezar sorprende la calidad del sonido. El disco es muy variado y en general no me ha gustado. Algunas de las canciones más étnicas son las que me han parecido más interesantes: El harba wine, Mele H'Bibti y Derwiche tourneur. Las canciones famosas de este disco C'est la nuit y Trigue Lycee no eran lo que esperaba. Se puede escuchar como curiosidad pero no es un disco al que volveré.
They lost me at Imagine
Wasn't for me
Not on Spotify and had to listen on Youtube which added a little frustration to my listening experience. This album is kind of all over the place sound-wise. The Imagine cover surprised me and I did not like it. Can't say I really enjoyed the rest of the album either.
Very interesting, not my style though
Just not for me overall. Not bad, just something I won’t come back to or find myself listening to.
Ranging from some sort of '90s disco-pop style, a ballad or two, and some presumably more-traditional though oft repetitive tracks (though mostly preferable), all with an excessively clean, commercial, sort of bland shine to it Much was thrown at the wall, but little stuck
첫소절 듣고 껐어요 ㅎㅎ
not a fan of indian sorry
Don't like
eh, jut not really interested in this one
Hard listen, not my style after 3 songs. Skipping this one but 1/10
Not another album that is in the list because it’s “different”…because it’s not. Change out the language and this is the same crappy electro-pop that is recognized to be the cotton candy of music by anyone discerning. Also, the album cover looks like a still from the movie Harold and Kumar Found a Time Machine and go to White Castle in 1973. 1⭐️
DNF - got to the Imagine cover and I just couldn’t do it to myself.
Pop de Medio Oriente? No
1 - TERRIBLE
Estuve todo el disco dudando si era DJ Khaled antes de ser DJ. También creo que podía morir sin escuchar este album.
Oh, no thank you. This is not for me. Good luck with all your endeavors, sir.
I can't do it .. I tried, honest I did
Zuhause, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Gar nicht meins.
😴
No es mi estilo, tampoco me parece gran cosa. La versión de Imagine prescindible y olvidable.
First álbum that I can’t finished. Listen one song is good, two are the limit…..
WTF?
Nicht mein Genre!
Not for me, and I generally like French lyrics.
Not my kind of thing but at least it's nice and long :(
Уберите это
A lesson to us all. When you open the car door, look behind for cyclists.
Ugh, one vocal note in and I can tell where this is going. I’m not one for whiney sounding vocals and this is like a dying dog killing a rabbit that’s screaming while it scrapes its teeth on a chalk board. Pass. Hard pass.
One of those corny, watered down attempts to “reach new audiences” but end up really unengaging. The cover of Imagine is painful.
"Great" I thought, "something out of the ordinary, that's what the generator is all about". I was coping with Khaled okay until I got to Imagine. Dreadful cover of a dreadful song.
😵💫
This is painfully mediocre. It's a very bad thing, because it's soooo looooong. As someone who comes from the middle east this sound is nothing new to me. I don't find anything authentic or interesting about it. The vocals are fine but not at all special, and the production is so lazy and lifeless. And will it ever end? To be honest, it's not all that bad. Track 11 for example has nice energy and instrumentation. But the fact that I know that I have 4 more songs after it doesn't really help me to enjoy it in any way. Yeah, I'm loosing it. But today I decided I am going to finish this thing- it's the only thing that will make it a legitimate thing to loose 78 minutes of my life for this thing.
Hell no. This is what my taxi driver listens to. Why is this an album I must hear?
I couldn't finish this album
did not listen
Best Song: Melha I saw someone on the 1001 list say that this reminded them of restaurant music and I have to agree, makes me want a lamb kebab. Anyway, this is the "king of Rai" and if you don't know what that is, neither do it. It is a description of Arabian folk which, unless Arabian music considers folk different than I, this doesn't really fit that bill - this is more pop/dance than folk, in my opinion. Anyway, I wanted to go outside my comfort zone and this did it. However, maybe it went a bit too far as I would never listen to this again unless I was making kebab's at home and wanted to be more authentic. Not my thing. 1/5.
1+ Stars (3/15)
Khaled – Kenza Kenza is an ambitious exhibition of global fusion, but one that ultimately felt "overwhelming" and inaccessible. While the production is clearly layered with complex instrumentation and powerful vocal delivery, the lack of a personal connection to the Raï style made it a difficult "body of work" to fully engage with. While it’s an interesting cultural detour in the 1001 list, it didn't resonate with the same "rock" or "hip-hop" energy of previous days. A neutral experience that serves as a reminder that even immaculate talent doesn't always translate across every listener’s taste.But yoo I, at least I got to hear it 🤷♂️
1. aalach - 1.5 2. uuine - 1 3. nuit - 0 4. imagine - 0 5. lycee - 1 6. zeba - 0 7. ya - 1 8. melha - 1.5 9. raba - 1.5 10. Bab -1 11. DENE - 1 12. IDJI - 0 13. Mele - 2 14. Tourner - 1 15. Leili - 1
520/1001
bruh this ain't my shit at all lol
ainda na segunda música, tô gostando do ritmo mesmo não entendo nada.. Não tava esperando uma música em francês ... Gostei mais das duas primeiras músicas, o resto do álbum é bom mas nada demais
Это просто не моя музыка. Лучшая песня - Ya Aachkou.
I didn't know Khaled before this adventure; he has sold +80M albums worldwide, I should have heard of him! I was excited to dive into a new adventure. It's fecking awful. The low point was the cover of Lennon's 'Imagine', but I soldiered on through nearly an hour and a half of this pageant (I'm committed). I couldn't figure out how this guy sold so many albums; there had to be more to him -- turns out there is. According to besteveralbums.com 'Kenza' is rated 22,902 (21,901 albums to hear before you die are ahead of this one). He has a live album, 'Hafla', 11,388 places earlier on that same list; that's 31 years of this! Why wasn't that the recommendation? Well, I'm listening to 'Hafla' now, and it's excellent. It's intoxicating; the live energy transports me into the middle of a celebration. I want to be part of that scene. I understand why Khaled is so popular now.
Is this some sort of joke, top 1000? Enjoyed some of the instrumentals and beats like Imagine. Oh thats right not his music. C’est La Nuit was the only other song I could tolerate. Once he started singing it’s a No Thank You, for me.
Ummmmm. Nope
Made the list of 1001 albums that should be tossed in the trash.
rhythmic, but hard to have on (turned low it is ok as background music I ignore).
Just not my taste
Not something I would listen to really. 1/5
Artiste inconnu. Original par rapport à ce que j'écoute habituellement, mais beaucoup trop long et lassant quand la découverte s'estompe. Je n'ai pas pu aller au bout. =>1/5
Bem tosco, e não digo isso por conta do idioma. Não ligo pra música estrangeira, tenho a mente aberta quanto a isso. Mas não tenho mente aberta quanto a música brega, esdrúxula, tosca, com vibe de karaokê com aquele tio e aquela prima bêbados. E pra piorar a comparação com um karaokê meia-boca, o cara ainda teve a pachorra de colocar um cover de Imagine no seu disco! Que absurdo… “and no religion too” vindo de um muçulmano! Chega ser hilário. Não é à toa que ao pesquisar o nome dele rapidamente vi que muitos islâmicos querem sua cabeça! O que não é hilário é que esse projeto fez eu gastar 1 hora do meu sábado ouvindo esse álbum. Isso não tem graça nenhuma. Nas horas que ele emprega uma instrumentalização mais tradicional, como na canção Trigue Lycee, o álbum até passa a ser mais agradável. Mas na maioria das canções aqui, o artista decide diluir a tradição com um pop bem deslocado, uma mescla de gêneros. E a música aguada e diluída não me desce. Vou fazer uma analogia, sabe quando você era criança e queria brincar de cientista, e então pegava todos os líquidos da casa (detergente, pasta de dente, sabonete líquido, óleo de soja, etc) e misturava em um frasco, ou copo? O resultado era sempre aquela substância escura, cinza, esfumaçada, viscosa e absolutamente nojenta. Isso é esse disco. É louvável a variedade musical apresentada aqui? O casamento de tantos gêneros e influências ocidentais? Claro, pô, não serei hipócrita, isso é algo que eu verdadeiramente aprecio neste disco… Mas eu preferiria um álbum mais coeso e conciso de Rai tradicional com vocais bem empregados e – mais importante de tudo – com uma duração mais manuseável. Não foi isso que o artista fez e não foi isso que eu ouvi, mas poderia ter sido bem pior. 1.5/5
Background music in a Middle Eastern restaurant. Rubbish.
Who knew Arabic music could be so dynamite? I had a blast listening to it. The track "El Harba Wine" is the bomb. Ethnic music blah
Eventually put it on in the evening...and it's basically crap. I think it might be worse than that though...the most charitable reading is that one of the list's curators is just a personal fan of this mediocre Afro pop album. Unfortunately, what is more likely is that it's a misdirected attempt to make the list a bit more exotic. However, when you could pick other, far superior, Algerian acts such as Tinariwen or Imarhan but pick this trash instead, your tokenism is laid bare. It's a bit like wanting to include a Welsh album but picking Stereophonics over SFA, Manics or Mclusky.
Boring
A nice change of pace but it loses a star for covering Imagine and gains one for not being in English. Didn’t enjoy.
Nie słuchałbym
Absolutely not.
Ik ken Khaled enkel van C'est La Vie, maar ik vond ook wel dat het daar mocht blijven. 1.3
Didn’t like
Mid asf
Not in the mood for this.