Liberté is the sixth studio album by Khaled. Released in 2009, the album is Khaled's first studio album to feature original material following a five-year hiatus.[4] The album marks a shift to a more acoustic Raï orientated sound.[5] However, in contrast to his previous work, the album incorporates elements of Gnawa music,[6] as seen on the track "Gnaoui.[7] It also features Egyptian string performances recorded in Cairo.[5][8] The album was recorded in the studio under live conditions to replicate the energy of his live performances.[5][6]
| Liberté | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 30, 2009 | |||
| Genre | Raï | |||
| Length | 73:43 | |||
| Label | Wrasse Records, AZ Records | |||
| Producer | Martin Meissonnier | |||
| Khaled chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| The Guardian |  [2] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [3] |
The meaning of the title track "Liberté" has been described by the artist as the attainment of freedom at the cost of ones innocence.[8] Khaled describes "Sidi Rabbi" as a prayer for repentance for any pain he has caused to his parents.[8] The album features two covers two songs by the Algerian artist Blaoui Houari; "Zabana" and "Papa".[6] Zabana is a tribute to Ahmed Zabana, the first man to be executed by the French in Oran during the Algerian War of Independence;[6][8] whereas "Papa" is a tribute to the memory of his late father and was co-written with French musician Philippe Gouadin.[6]
The Guardian, Friday 8 May 2009, in reviewing the CD, commenced with the comment that "Khaled, the "king of Rai", became a celebrity across Europe and the Middle East in the early 1990s, provoking scenes worthy of Beatlemania..." and noted that the new CD continued his "growing interest in acoustic styles".[7]
On November 21, 2009, Khaled performed tracks from the album at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.[8]
Track listing
edit- "Hiya Ansadou (Intro)" - 1:23
- "Hiya Ansadou" - 4:49
- "Raikoum (Intro)" - 1:20
- "Raikoum" - 4:50
- "Ya Bouya Kirani" - 6:23
- "Gnaoui" - 5:39
- "Zabana" - 8:19
- "Liberté (Intro)" - 2:41
- "Liberté" - 4:33
- "Ghadni Soghri"
- "Sidi Rabbi" - 5:35
- "Yamina (Intro)" - 2:27
- "Yamina" - 4:20
- "Papa" - 5:24
- "Maghboune" - 4:48
- "Mimoune (Intro)" - 1:12
- "Mimoune" - 4:54
The booklet of the French release on AZ contains French translations, but not the Arabic sung texts.
References
edit- ^ "Allmusic review". Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ Denselow, Robin (8 May 2009). "The Guardian review". London. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ Hudson, Mark (29 May 2009). "The Daily Telegraph review". London. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ Album review by "The Daily Telegraph" newspaper Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 11 July 2010
- ^ a b c Khaled's biography at RFI music Archived March 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Accessed 11 July 2010
- ^ a b c d e Album information at Mondomix Accessed 11 July 2010 [dead link]
- ^ a b "Album review by "The Guardian" newspaper". Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
- ^ a b c d e Article at Spinner Music Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 11 July 2010