Rachid Taha
Tékitoi?
Wrasse Records, 2004
 "Metfuh"
from the Afropop CD Store
Rachid Taha is a maverick among
’s rai rebels. This street-wise, hybrid genre made its way to the global stage with passionate, young singers challenging social taboos. Taha went further, eschewing the slick pop of Cheb Mami, and the feel-good, funky rai of Khaled in favor of a rough-edged, rock vibe. Taha’s brooding cover of the Clash (“Rock el Casbah”) is only the most obvious gesture amid a 14-track feast of finely crafted rawness unlike anything else in African music. Producer/guitarist Steve Hillage heads a team of collaborators, but for all the techno grooves and layering of gnarly guitars, Middle Eastern instruments, and a blustery string section, Taha keeps it real with his gruff, edgy vocals. The voice is not pretty. It extends from a ragged whisper to a mad roar, calibrated to suit messages of despair, longing, and anger at “liars, thieves, killers, and oppressors.” Taha is master of the terse, punk refrain on songs like “Meftuh/Open” and “Safi/Pure.” He’s also capable of high-concept rock bombast à la Led Zeppelin (“Nah’Seb/I Count”), and percolating, one-chord grooves reminiscent of Talking Heads (“Shuf/Look”). What endures is the expression of an angry man looking for hope and beauty in a soiled, broken world.
(Originally published in The Boston Phoenix.)
Watch for Rachid Taha on tour in the US:
06/27/2005, Mon. Hollywood, CA
Knitting Factory LA, 7021 Hollywood Blvd. Tix: $20.00, Doors Open: 7:30 pm, Show: 8:30 pm
06/28/2005, Tue. San Francisco, CA
Great American Music Hall, 859 O' Farrell Street Tix: $20.00, Doors Open: 8 pm, Show: 9 pm
· Appearing with: Cheb I Sabah
06/29/2005, Wed. Seattle, WA
Chop Suey Club, 1325 E.Madison. Tix: $15.00, Doors Open: 9:00, Show: 9:45
· Opening act: Raga 2 Rap
07/01/2005, Fri. Chicago, IL
Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N Kedzie Blvd. #15 Tix: $20.00, Doors Open: 8:30 pm, Show: 9:30 pm
07/02/2005, Sat. Vancouver, BC. Canada
Commodore Ballroom, 868 Granville Street
· Coastal Jazz & Blues
07/03/2005, Sun. Victoria, BC Canada
Market Square Courtyard, 560 Johnson Street
· JazzFest International
07/05/2005, Tue. Philadelphia, PA
Theater of Living Arts, 334 South Street Tix: $20.00-22.00, Doors Open: 7 pm, Show: 10 pm
07/06/2005, Wed. New York, NY
Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancy Street Tix: $25.00, Doors Open: 8 pm, Show: 10:15 pm
07/07/2005, Thu. Boston, MA
Paradise
Tix: $15.00, Doors Open: 8 pm, Show: 10 pm
Contributed by: Banning Eyre
Originally published in: Boston Phoenix
 |
