Liberté (Khaled album)
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| Liberté | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 30, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008—2009 | |||
| Studio | Studio Davout (Paris) | |||
| Genre | Raï | |||
| Length | 73:43 | |||
| Label | Wrasse Records, AZ Records | |||
| Producer | Martin Meissonnier | |||
| Khaled chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| The Guardian |  [2] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [3] |
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.[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]
