Liberté (Khaled album)

For other albums with same title, see Liberté (disambiguation) § Albums.
Liberté
Studio album by
Khaled
ReleasedMarch 30, 2009 (2009-03-30)
GenreRaï
Length73:43
LabelWrasse Records, AZ Records
ProducerMartin Meissonnier
Khaled chronology
Best of Khaled
(2007) 		Liberté
(2009) 		C'est la vie
(2012)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
The Guardian[2]
The Daily Telegraph[3]

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]

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

  1. "Hiya Ansadou (Intro)" - 1:23
  2. "Hiya Ansadou" - 4:49
  3. "Raikoum (Intro)" - 1:20
  4. "Raikoum" - 4:50
  5. "Ya Bouya Kirani" - 6:23
  6. "Gnaoui" - 5:39
  7. "Zabana" - 8:19
  8. "Liberté (Intro)" - 2:41
  9. "Liberté" - 4:33
  10. "Ghadni Soghri"
  11. "Sidi Rabbi" - 5:35
  12. "Yamina (Intro)" - 2:27
  13. "Yamina" - 4:20
  14. "Papa" - 5:24
  15. "Maghboune" - 4:48
  16. "Mimoune (Intro)" - 1:12
  17. "Mimoune" - 4:54

The booklet of the French release on AZ contains French translations, but not the Arabic sung texts.

References

  1. ^ "Allmusic review". Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  2. ^ Denselow, Robin (8 May 2009). "The Guardian review". London. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  3. ^ Hudson, Mark (29 May 2009). "The Daily Telegraph review". London. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  4. ^ Album review by "The Daily Telegraph" newspaper Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 11 July 2010
  5. ^ a b c Khaled's biography at RFI music Archived March 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Accessed 11 July 2010
  6. ^ a b c d e Album information at Mondomix Accessed 11 July 2010 [dead link‍]
  7. ^ a b "Album review by "The Guardian" newspaper". Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
  8. ^ a b c d e Article at Spinner Music Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 11 July 2010