Released
1997
Reviewed by
Kim Alexander
Label
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Barraka
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Mara &Jalal
Last Edit/Update
04 April, 1998
Mara & Jalal
Immigri
Track Listing
1. Khalik Hdaya
2. Titi
3. Immigri
4. Ça y est c'est fini
5. Hday Hday
6. Alesh Habibi
7. Zina
8. Tayah
9. Hjarni Mon Amour
10. Gallon Lyah
11. Beler Slami
12. Mazal Saber
13. Rani Rani Saber
14. Aziza
Immigri
is an excellent release infusing modern programming, digital injections, violin, and
keyboard synths with traditional Middle Eastern - North African vocals and thematics. As
noted below, Immigri is a call of alert for many about the guise of
"Roads Paved With Gold" in the Western and European countries which
entice others to immigrate to -- an all too often mistake made by hundreds every day, and
a familiar road unfortunately traveled by many from the Islamic Countries.
This CD is spoken in French, so I can't
really tell you what the lyrics translate to -- the liner notes are not in English...but
you can get a good feel for the messages here with the sounds, which range from upbeat
pop-ish to more mellow serious dramatics with flowing harmony and excellent
vocals by Cheb Mara and superb keyboards by Jalal Hamdaoui.
For further information on this release, the reasons and people behind it, and the
necessity for it, please read below. Pretty amazing!
All tracks composed and arranged by Mara, Hamdaoui and Jabbar.
Recorded at Sonya Disque - Casablanca; Secret Laboratory -Basel
Mastered at Greenwood Studios - Nunningen CH by Glenn Miller.
Cheb Mara from Mohammedia
During the musical blockage and
stagnation in
North Africa of most of the late eighties - and early
nineties - Rai acts, gave birth to a new generation
of young Moroccan rai singers such as Cheb Amrou, Mohamed Ray, Cheb Wari, Othmane, Cheb
Hindi, etc, who were able to bring new directions and definitions of what was the original
(rai means
"my opinion") from Oran, Algeria. One of the most successful is 22 year-old Cheb
Mara from Mohammedia, a city close toCasablanca. He has already released eight brilliant
tapes on the Moroccan market with sales exceeding 20,000 copies per title and can often be
seen performing live across the country. Mara's first album for Barraka Productions was
made possible via Jalal Hamdaoui's connections to the national Rai scene.
Twenty years old, he's been working
since the age of ten in diverse studios as a sound engineer, drummer, arranger and
keyboarder with people like Cheb Hasni, Raina Rai, Mohamed ray, Nass El Ghiwane, Lem
Chaheb, Jil Jilal, Bouchenak etc, and has been involved in all Barraka recordings at the
Sonya and Ziryab studios; he has as well done some programming for Sapho and Argan.
Different Rai styles
Having grown up in Oujda, near the
Algerian border and a one hour drive from Oran, it seems obvious that the influence of
Algerian Rai on his career would be huge. Living now in Casablanca, he has been absorbing,
more and more, all kinds of
traditional Moroccan styles as well as the
westernized sides of club culture.This album is a collection of different Rai styles
between Reggae, Drum 'n' Bass, Ballads, Ambient and Dance.
A call to the young generation...
Guest appearences by Cheb Youssef
(Amira
saqati, AKJE) playing on three tracks and Akkaoui
Abderrahim, imposing his delirious vocals,
embellesh the recording and give a sort of landscape- like profile to the whole sound.
Immigri is a song about the "unnecessary" and deceptive dream of immigration to
Western or European countries. It calls to the young generation to build up their future
as best they can in their own homeland and not to think that the streets abroad are paved
of gold. Most of the other tracks are treat the "original" Rai topic, which is
love: lost, found, regretted, deserted, permitted, forbidden, etc.." --
Promotional data compliments of:
