Liberté (Khaled album)

Liberté (transl.Freedom) 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.[1]

Liberté
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 30, 2009 (2009-03-30)
Recorded2008—2009
StudioStudio Davout (Paris)
GenreRaï
Length73:43
Label
ProducerMartin Meissonnier
Khaled chronology
Best of Khaled
(2007)
Liberté
(2009)
C'est la vie
(2012)

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".[2]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllmusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[3]
The GuardianStarStarStarStar[4]
The Daily TelegraphStarStarStarStar[5]

The album marks a shift to a more acoustic Raï orientated sound.[6] However, in contrast to his previous work, the album incorporates elements of Gnawa music,[7] as seen on the track "Gnaoui.[2] It also features Egyptian string performances recorded in Cairo.[6][8] The album was recorded in the studio under live conditions to replicate the energy of his live performances.[6][7]

Composition

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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".[7] Zabana is a tribute to Ahmed Zabana, the first man to be executed by the French in Oran during the Algerian War of Independence;[7][8] whereas "Papa" is a tribute to the memory of his late father and was co-written with French musician Philippe Gouadin.[7]

Live performance

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On November 21, 2009, Khaled performed tracks from the album at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.[8]

Track listing

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  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

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