Head Butler - Music

Sahra
by Khaled

Butler is not Sting's greatest fan --- if Butler wants a look at pretentiousness, he need only consult the nearest mirror --- but give the guy credit: Sting was the first Western pop star to dip into Rai. Remember “Desert Rose” and that exotic wailing in the background? That was none other than Cheb Mami, an Algerian master who's probably the second-biggest star in Rai.

The biggest? Khaled. But before Butler praises him to the heavens, let us build a modest foundation. Like so much popular music, Rai comes out of the religious music of northwestern Algeria . But as rock ‘n roll moved around the world, the background got livelier --- accordion, electric guitar, multiple drums --- and the lyrics were no longer derived from Sufi prayers. Instead of hymns to God, singers started praising alcohol, parties, sex. And politics --- which is why “Rai,” freely translated, means “point-of-view” or “my way.”

Here's a very early lyric from Khaled:

Where has youth gone?

Where are the brave ones?
The rich gorge themselves,
The poor work themselves to death,
The Islamic charlatans show their true face...
You can always cry or complain
Or escape...but where?

“Islamic charlatans” --- that would be like Bono singing about George Bush as a “cowboy Hitler.” So it was probably inevitable that Islamic fundamentalists would assassinate a Rai singer in Algeria, and that the Rai singers would flee to Paris, and that Khaled, the best of them, would come to record with Don Was, a Jewish producer from Los Angeles.

“Sahra” was Khaled's breakthrough CD in 1997, and it's a lot more international than you'd expect --- this is really Rai blended with reggae. But there are no formulas here; every song has its own appeal, and there isn't a dud in the bunch.

Butler dropped an important hint a few paragraphs ago: Khaled is a party guy. Well, this is party music. Okay, super-sophisticated party music. But if you lower the lights and add the usual ingredients, everyone will know exactly what to do. And then, of course, they'll ask: “What WAS that?”

One more hint: The morning after your party, go back to Amazon and look up Khaled's earlier releases, often on small, foreign labels. It's raw stuff --- and in this case, that's a very good thing.

--- by Jesse Kornbluth, for HeadButler.com

To buy “Sahra” from Amazon.com, click here.