Search - Various Artists :: Greetings From North Africa

Works to whet the appetite for further exploration

03/18/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This colection is upbeat and enjoyable but in my opinion it works mostly to whet the listener's appetite for further exploration into North African music. It focuses heavily on Algerian Rai, whch has in recent years become more popular with the rise of Khaled in France and the increase in Arabian and Middle East-inspired music like the 'Desert Roses' and other compilations.
There are some really good tracks, but I only gave this CD three stars because it features on the whole too few artists and relies too heavily on a limited number of musicians. It is altogether too heavy on Rai. There is not enough material from other North African countries to justify the title. It is not representative of North Africa.
Summary: If you already like Rai, it's a good addition to your collection, and if you want to try some then this is a good place to start. But if you want to have a truly representative selection of North African music, you'll have to supplement this CD with at least one other."