Cheikha Rimitti
Nouar
Sonodisc, 2000
Not many Afropop legends continue to record and perform into their 70s. On her latest album, Rimitti updates her sound to achieve the punch and clarity of contemporary club grooves, but she mostly remains true to the swirling, formless songs that first made her famous in the 1930s. Rimitti continues to dwell in the moody miasma of dark, smoky cafés and difficult love. On the title track, Rimitti weighs in over a driving Arabic club groove singing, "With my beloved, I will go to the top of the mountains to pick up roses and flowers." Her deep, clipped voice--powerfully expressive despite limited range--doesn't suggest a mountain climber, but it does exude tough, antiquated sensuality. On "Koum Oula Talag," a deep-toned traditional flute adorns the brooding lament of a reluctant bride: "My mother wanted the wealthy one and I wanted the beloved one."
Rimitti's songs mostly avoid pop rai's chord progressions and western verse-chorus formats, harkening back to a more primal, hypnotic aesthetic. She does turn out a couple of pop tracks, notably the fast, keyboard-driven "Mani Man," with its hook refrain, but most of these compositions are moody and static. Another rai veteran, trumpet man Bellamou Messaoud, sits in on three tracks. His clean, strong lines become that much more poignant when you consider that these two artists both collaborated and feuded famously during the 1960s. This album proves not only that Rimitti still possesses her singing and songwriting powers, but that she still knows what's hip.
Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org
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