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Rai's Travels

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2016

Ted Swedenburg
Ted Swedenburg*
Affiliation:
University of Arkansas
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Extract

Rai music has traveled far and undergone remarkable transmutations since the early days of its development in Wahran (Oran) during the first decades of the twentieth century. Originally performed at weddings and in bars, mostly by women singers known as cheikhat, the instrumentation was simple (a reed flute known as a qasba, a single-stringed viol or rbab, and a hand drum known as the gellal) and the vocals, raucous and sometimes bawdy. The lyrics consisted of formulaic couplets, and mostly dealt with relations between men and women. The early recordings of rai's greatest female vocalist, Cheikha Rimitti are the essential foundation of any collection of rai music.

Type
Essays
Information
Review of Middle East Studies , Volume 36 , Issue 2 , Winter 2003 , pp. 190 - 193
Copyright
Copyright © Middle East Studies Association of North America 2003

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References

Discography:

Khaled, , Kenza (Ark 21/Mondo Melodia, 2000). Khaled’s latest recording, and one of his best. Khaled demonstrates how a creative rai artist can incorporate other influences, such as funk, salsa, Egyptian pop, reggae, and Moroccan gnawa, and still remain true to the genre and its gritty origins. Most interesting are “El Harba Wine,” a remake of a big Khaled hit with guest vocalist Amar, a young British-Pakistani, and the salsa-funk number, “Gouloulha-Dji.”Google Scholar
Marni, Cheb, MeliMeli(Ark 21/Mondo Melodia, 1999). Cheb Mami’s voice is more romantic, more silky-smooth and warbly than Khaled’s. Meli Meli is a more understated release than Khaled’s Kenza that sticks closer to Algerian pop-rai styles. But Meli Meli is successfully experimental as well, particularly on, “Azwaw 2,” a politically-daring duet with Kabyle star Idir, the rai/hip-hop number “Parisien du Nord,” and the reggae-inflected “Hatachi.”Google Scholar
Faudel, , Baida (Sankara, 1998). Faudel is the boy star of rai, the first to be born and raised in France (Maintes-La-Jolie). Possessor of a high, melifluous voice, here on his first album he both performs updated covers of rai standards (“Eray” and “N’Sel Fik”) and new material (“Tellement n’Brick” and “Dis-moi,” featuring the raps of Delta) that is both deeply rooted in the Orani sources and utterly contemporary.Google Scholar
Taha, Rachid, Made in Medina (Mondo Melodia, 2001). Not strictly speaking rai music, but Taha has been conceptually linked to Faudel and Khaled since the “1-2-3 Soleils” concert. Really, this is rock‘n’roll that harnesses the energies of rai, Algerian sha’bi, and Moroccan folk. “Barra Barra” and “Foqt Foqt” are two outstanding cuts from a sublime album.Google Scholar
Artists, Various, Absolute Rai (Virgin, 2001). There are many rai collections available, but this is the one to get, because it is so comprehensive (4 CDs and 57 cuts) and incredibly affordable. It includes songs performed in the old, pre-electric style, hits from the days of pop-rai (complete with signature cheesy electric keyboard), and contemporary material. Another virtue is that it features a number of important female rai singers, like Chaba Fadela and Chaba Zahouania, who have lost ground to the male stars over the last decade.Google Scholar
Remitti, Cheikha, Nouar (Sonodisc, 2000). The raunchy “grandmother of rai,” Rimitti, approaching eighty, is still performing and recording after a half-century in the business. Her latest recording features rai sung in the old style, as it originated in Oran, with the tasteful backing of more modern instruments.Google Scholar
Taha, , Khaled, , Faudel, , 1,2,3, Soleils (Barclay, 1998) The best selling live album of the largest North African concert ever to take place in France.Google Scholar