V.A. - The Rough Guide To North African Café (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For café music, the idea seems to be nothing too extreme. Certainly, this is a fairly gentle excursion through North African sounds -- the compilation even soft pedals the cut from a rock band like Les Boukakes, whose "Dorbiha Zina" barely displays it muscle. Things start out well, with a couple of Algerian cuts from the melodic youngster Akli D then the wonderful veteran Maurice El Medioni, whose "Rai Rock Rumba" offers a seamless, and surprisingly natural blend of Maghrebi and Latin sounds. While the rest is quite mellifluous and easygoing, it all seems a little lightweight; even the normally adventurous Smadj doesn't challenge the ears, and Akim El Sikameya seems closer to French chanson than anything North African. There's nothing wrong with this disc at all -- the choices are fine, and there's quality to the music -- and it does exactly what it says on the tin: it works as café music. But since the very nature of "café" is background, this can never be really satisfying. by Chris Nickson
Tracklist:
1 Akli D – Barman 4:36
2 Maurice El Médioni & Roberto Rodriguez – Rai Rock Rumba 3:37
3 Barrio Chino – El Salam 4:41
4 Madioko & Rafika – Ellelli 4:01
5 Smadj Presents S.O.S. Project – Hat 6:02
6 Sabahat Akkiraz & Orient Expressions – Ben Melamet Hirkasini Guydim 3:20
7 Les Orientales – Wayak 6:25
8 Cheb Balowski – El Dia 4:58
9 El Tanbura – Sar A Lay 3:57
10 Abdel Gadir Salim – Lemon Bara 5:02
11 Akim El Sikameya – A Chaque Instant, Oran 3:15
12 Les Boukakes – Dorbiha Zina 4:21
13 Mahmoud Fadl – Halawa Ya 2:53
14 Tarik – La Foule 3:19