Rachid Taha - Zoom

After months (years?) of being untraceable, Rachid Taha has finally resurfaced with a critically acclaimed album. The new video from one of my favourite tracks of the album - Now or Never - is out and available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEeB3l5eJgU and a live version is here: http://video.mytaratata.com/video/a1b55479c45s.html

Taha has been my favourite musician ever since I discovered him through this collaboration he did with Brian Eno here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jde6OjPtunw. Good music to me is music that is sincere. Not only is Rachid Taha's music a great mix of Arabic melodies and western instrumentation (along with the wonderful mandolute played by his longtime collaborator Hakim - see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIiCqbqCec0), each lyric seems to be delivered straight from the heart.

The sound is refreshing and raw. For me the new album comes as a testament to the fact that, despite the headlines and general impending sense of gloom, good things can still happen. My favourite track from the album is the remake of Voila Voila - a work of pure genius,  produced by Brian Eno: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAtAXMrsoi0

Glad to report that Taha will be performing live in London in June 2013 along with Souad Massi at the Barbican.