Mraya

Be the first to write a review

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Chris Nickson
To say Mraya is a vision of Algerian rai refracted through a sympathetic British prism sounds like a harsh criticism, but it's true. Abdel Ali Slimani has sung with bassist Jah Wobble, and he returns the favor here, bring not only his own talents, but Justin Adams on guitars and oud, and drummer/programmer John Reynolds, along with singers Natacha Atlas and Sinead O'Connor -- essentially the Invaders of the Heart posse. And what they do is excellent, to be fair. You'd be hard-pressed to know these players weren't from the Maghreb, especially Adams and Reynolds, who provide the bulk of the instrumental support. Slimani's songs are little gems, maybe not with the fire of a ...
See more details below
CD
$10.61
BN.com price
(Save 11%)$11.99 List Price
Other sellers (CD)
  • All (5) from $8.99   
  • New (5) from $8.99   

More About This Product

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Chris Nickson
To say Mraya is a vision of Algerian rai refracted through a sympathetic British prism sounds like a harsh criticism, but it's true. Abdel Ali Slimani has sung with bassist Jah Wobble, and he returns the favor here, bring not only his own talents, but Justin Adams on guitars and oud, and drummer/programmer John Reynolds, along with singers Natacha Atlas and Sinead O'Connor -- essentially the Invaders of the Heart posse. And what they do is excellent, to be fair. You'd be hard-pressed to know these players weren't from the Maghreb, especially Adams and Reynolds, who provide the bulk of the instrumental support. Slimani's songs are little gems, maybe not with the fire of a Khaled or a Cheikha Remitti, but worthy of repeated listenings. He pulls not only from the pop rai that swept Algeria in the '80s, but also from Egyptian sha'bi music, with its street rawness, and his singing voice has a raspy edge. The production, however, couldn't be anything but Western, with its sonic depth and smoothness -- missing the rough edges of an Oran studio. Again, that's not necessarily a bad thing, since that's how the album was conceived, and it works within that frame work, with the title track in particular a standout, with its contributions from O'Connor, cellist Caroline Dale, and darbuka player Nacer Khenniche, the music simmering before exploding in wonderful, fiery fury. And so, ultimately, it's successful on its own terms -- the problem is defining exactly what those terms are.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 2/10/2009
  • Label: Real World
  • UPC: 884108005422
  • Catalog Number: 55
  • Sales rank: 239,176

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Laziza (4:09)
  2. 2 Habibti (3:54)
  3. 3 Zeyna (4:00)
  4. 4 Mraya (7:18)
  5. 5 Yasmin (4:14)
  6. 6 Alger (5:19)
  7. 7 Hadi (4:28)
  8. 8 Ana Guellile (5:25)
  9. 9 Ana Guellile (8:06)
Read More Show Less

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Abdel Ali Slimani Primary Artist, Vocals, Darbouka, Taragat, Primary Artist, Bendir, Tar
Natacha Atlas Vocals, Guest Appearance
Caroline Dale Cello, Guest Appearance
Carol Isaacs Accordion, Guest Appearance
Jah Wobble Bass
Sinéad O'Connor Vocals, Guest Appearance
John Reynolds Drums, Background Vocals
Justin Adams Electric Guitar, Background Vocals, spanish guitar, Ud
Technical Credits
Jah Wobble Executive Producer
John Reynolds Programming, Producer, Engineer
Abdel Ali Slimani Contributor
Rob Santos translation
Ribeiro Santos translation
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously