DJ Cheb I Sabbah - La Kahena
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Free Music Notes for La Kahena
Free Music Review: Farrah Ashline's Favorite
Hit: 5 Stars
DJ Cheb Sabbah is a mastermind at blending world electronica with spirituality undertones and danceable tracks. Every CD of his is a different theme and influence. A must have CD at every dance party.
Farrah Ashline
Free Music Review: Journey into the desert
Hit: 3 Stars
DJ Cheb I Sabbah has always given a new spin to devotional music. His debut album,"Shri Durga" explored Hindu devotional music honoring the warrior goddess Durga;his "Krishna Lila" explored the music of Northern&Southern India and devotion to the blue god Krishna.
In "La Kahena",Cheb I Sabbah explores the Sufi devotional music of his native Algeria,complete with native singers,street sounds,percussionist Karsh Kale&the great bassist Bill Laswell. It is named for the Jewish Berber warrior woman La Kahena,who fought against Arab invaders of Algeria. The opening,"Why did I follow him?" is a tribal rave-up, gradually building in its longing. Its coda is a marvelous trancelike song of handclaps and chanting. "Toura Toura" is percussive and enchanting. "Praising of the saints" is a mesmerizing,hypnotic song.
"The Doors are Locked" and "Love's Chalice" are at once spiritual and sensual.
"La Kahena" takes time to grow. At times, it's repetitive. It's more mystical than the Algerian rai of Cheb Mami;it takes repeated listenings to fully appreciate. I liked it,but it's not Cheb I Sabbah's best. I look forward to hearing more from him.
Free Music Review: A good mix
Hit: 4 Stars
This was my first CD of this genre and I have to say that it's really good. A couple parts drag on, but for the most part it's a good CD.Free Music Review: unsure
Hit: 3 Stars
not sure what to make of this yet,after some listening.
not disagreeable but certainly not enticing.
see what time will do to it.
Free Music Review: Too New Age for Me
Hit: 2 Stars
Cheb I Sabbah seems like a really interesting guy. He was born in Algeria, moved to France with his family in the early sixties and ended up in Berkeley in 1968. He was totally into the hippie scene, with a girlfriend who had dated Neal Casady and made acid with Owsley, the Grateful Dead's chemist and soundman. So why do I find this CD so...BORING? It seems to lack the urgency of the other North African music I love (Ali Hassan Kuban, Abdel Aziz El Mubarek, Khaled, Idir, or even other North African ex-pats like The Orchestre National Des Barbes). Adbel Aziz El Mubarek swings more, Ali Hassan Kuban has better rhythms, Khaled is better than any of these singers and Idir has better melodies.
If you are thinking of buying this, LISTEN TO IT FIRST, if possible. The only option on Amazon might be hearing short samples, which doesn't really help much, I'm afraid. I am a big fan of the Beat magazine, and most of their columnists RAVED about this disc so I bought it. It just simply doesn't move me anywhere near as much as other North African music I have. Believe me, I WANT TO LIKE IT. After all I bought it at Tower Records here in Osaka and it wasn't cheap, but after trying and trying to get into it, I give up.
Want a great compilation of new North african music? I recommend Tea in Marrakech.
Edited to add: I just realized that the one song I kinda like (track seven "Im Ninalou") was performed by Ofra Haza on her album Seven Gates of Wisdom (ages ago), and her mostly acoustic version was better, to my ears.