One of the most popular Berber pop acts worlwide, Takfarinas is a powerful singer--not quite on the level of a Khaled or Mami, but definitely impressive--and his international release Yal is well produced pop music, comparable with the better rai music recorded in Europe. Takfarinas's double-necked lute (mandola) is a striking feature of his act, and he uses it to inject a beautiful roots element on tracks like "Irwihene" and "Lounes," presumably a song about Matoub Lounes, the martyred singer who was both the greatest muse of the Amazigh movement and also its most soulful vocalist. Elsewhere, Takfarinas' pop experimentations yield mixed results. "Tanoumi" is cool and melodic, if very light. "Tayri" kicks out angst-laced reggae pop. "Ayessiyi" is a hook-laden pop ditty with a bizarre electric guitar break, and "Lawliyya" is a kind of pop waltz. There are some excesses, like the anthem "Aytezyen," which plays like bad Elton John schmaltz, and the painfully bouncy "Douga." This album was released in the U.S. in 2000, but it's probably some two years older than that. He's definitely an artist with promise, and we can look forward to more mature and successful work from him in the future.

Contributed by: Banning Eyre