Hafla [Live] [Import]

1. Didi

2. Sahra

3. Aicha

4. Chebba

5. Abdel Kader

6. Ouelli El Darek

7. N'ssi N'ssi

8. Lillah

9. La Camel

10. Whrane Wahrane

11. Ragda

12. Walou Walou

13. Mauvais Sang

14. El Harba

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Though he's not too well known in the US, rai musician Khaled (pronounce the 'kh' as 'ch') is a phenomenon in the Arabic world, with a popularity that has reached almost surreal proportions. In 1992 his monster hit single 'Didi' sold over a million copies in European, Arabic and Asian countries, and made him more popular than Michael Jackson in India. This is his 1998 release featuring 14 tracks. Polygram.

Tracks:

Didi
Sahra
Aicha
Chebba
Abdel Kader
Ouelli El Darek
N'Ssi N'Ssi
Lillah
La Camel
Wahrane Wahrane
Ragda
Walou Walou
Mauvais Sang
El Harba

Album Description

Though he's not too well known in the US, rai musician Khaled (pronounce the 'kh' as 'ch') is a phenomenon in the Arabic world, with a popularity that has reached almost surreal proportions. In 1992 his monster hit single 'Didi' sold over a million copies in European, Arabic and Asian countries, and made him more popular than Michael Jackson in India. This is his 1998 release featuring 14 tracks. Polygram.

Customer Reviews:

Good Compilation - Tired Voice.......2007-02-16

I have listened to much of Khaled's music and I enjoy the combination of a mainly western production style (electric guitar, horn sections, carribean grooves) and arabic influence on the music (strings, certain melodies and above all his style of singing) very much. The fact that this is a live album is very positive since there is a live drummer which in my opinion adds to the music as opposed to the somewhat static way percussion is set up on some of his other albums (e.g. Sahra). The atmosphere at the concert seems amazing and carries over to the CD listener. I also enjoy whenever the arrangements are a little more experimental and deviate from the CD originals which often stay in the 3.5/4 minute mainstream range (example: El Harba Wine, track 14).

I myself only understand very limited arabic and Khaled does not sing in standard but rather an Algerian dialect and French sometimes. However, I have arab friends and was told that in the arab world he is not popular for his lyrics. From the translations I have found on the web, it seems that his lyrics are not very deep most of the times, so I don't think that anyone looses much by not understanding them (a lot of the songs are about beautiful women and broken hearts).

This particular CD has a very good collection of his greatest hits and it is a great start for someone interested in something new with foreign sounds, in fact, it was the first CD of Arabic music I owned and it did a good job.

Unfortunately, it can only give you a hint of Khaled's vocal talent. Apart from being a very good singer (he is almost flawless and very energetic live - a quality that not all singers have), he also has a unique voice. In this concert, you do not get to hear much of it, though. Maybe they made the recording at the end of the tour or he was having a bad day - his voice is very hoarse.
If it had not been, I would definitely call this my favorite Khaled CD, but listening to his hoarse voice makes me feel sorry for him rather than enjoy the recording all the way.

The alternatives to this CD are mainly 'Sahra', 'Kenza' and '1-2-3 Soleils'. 'Sahra' and 'Kenza' are Studio albums and have gone through the production cycle a little too often in my opinion, the songs versions are very clean, but they lost some of their energy.
'1-2-3 Soleils' features two more singers, Faudel and Rahid Taha. I believe that it is the better live albums, because the singers sound more rested, however, it is a little harder to get used to than 'Hafla'.

All in all I would recommend this album if you like live recordings and a good groove and still need to get used to foreign sounds, but if you like what you hear, you might want to look into other albums from Khaled as well since only those will allow you to explore his full vocal ability.

Cheb Khaled's Best.......2000-12-31

Cheb Khaled is the master of the music style called Rai, which combines traditional Algerian (Arabic) music with modern western sounds. This style is appealing to everyone, whether you can understand the lyrics or not. This CD is a collection of all of his finest songs live in concert. The fact that this CD is a concert recording makes it even better than you would hear it normally. My personal favorite songs on this album are Chebba and Aiysha. Although Aiysha is a lot more famous, Chebba has to be the best. This CD is a wonderful, exotic addition to anyone's CD library.

must must must buy cd...........1999-06-02

I bought this cd when i visited united arab Emirates.Even though i don't speak arabic and don't have a clue what the songs mean,i think it's the best cd i have ever listen to!!All the songs are excellent and it's a must buy cd..

Excellent collection of Khaled's most famous songs.......1998-10-05

This is a good compilation of Khaled's work. I've been a fan of his since listening to "Didi" about 4 years ago and have listened to all his music since (in spite of not knowing either Arabic or French!) If you are familiar with his music it's nice to listen to the songs in the live version. I actually thought that "Aicha" sounded better live than the studio version. However, some of the other numbers sounded a bit flat. Still, it's good listening overall.