You Are Mine is the debut album by the Algerian musician Chaba Fadela.[2][3] It was released in 1988.[4] "N'sel Fik (You Are Mine)" was sung with Fadela's ex-husband; it had been an international hit.[5] The album is also referred to as pop-raï.[6][7] Fadela supported You Are Mine with a North American tour.[8]

You Are Mine
Studio album by
Released1988
GenreRaï
LabelMango[1]
ProducerRachid Baba Ahmed
Chaba Fadela chronology
You Are Mine
(1988)
Hana Hana
(1989)

Production

edit

Recorded in Algeria, the album was produced by Rachid Baba Ahmed.[9][10] Fadela recorded her vocals first, with the musical backing added by Ahmed.[11] Ahmed mixed instruments such as the derbouka with synthesizer sounds.[12] The title track first appeared internationally on the Rai Rebels compilation.[13]

Critical reception

edit
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [14]
Chicago Tribune    [15]
Robert ChristgauA−[16]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [17]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide     [10]

Robert Christgau called "N'Sel Fik" "rai's most incandescent and universal moment, one of the greatest singles of the decade," writing that "Oran superproducer Rachid [is] outdoing rather than compromising himself as he aims for the bigger time"; Christgau also wrote that he considered the title track to be the single of the year for 1988.[16][18] The New York Times wrote that "Fadela's voice pours out throaty vulnerability, her notes sliding and breaking in straightforward productions."[13]

The Washington Post praised "Fadela's roughly sensual voice."[11] The Chicago Tribune wrote that the music "builds from a hypnotic minor-key tradition by adding vibrant African and Western dance rhythms, rich French and Spanish melodies, high-tech instrumentation and scandalous lyrics."[15] The Sydney Morning Herald deemed the album "an Arabic music that uses modern instrumentation and pertinent lyrics to upset its own society."[19]

AllMusic noted that "'N'sel Fik', by Fadela and her husband Cheb Sahraoui, is the biggest Algerian hit in the country's history."[14]

Track listing

edit
No.TitleLength
1."N'sel Fik (You Are Mine)" 
2."Nebki Ouahdi (Crying Alone)" 
3."Ateni Bniti (Part 1) (Give Me Back My Daughter)" 
4."Ateni Bniti (Part 2)" 
5."Ha-Liyaouana Alach (Why Does This Happen to Me)" 
6."Dja Yadhak (He Came Smiling)" 

References

edit
  1. ^ Lavie, Smadar; Swedenburg, Ted (July 22, 2013). Displacement, Diaspora, and Geographies of Identity. Duke University Press.
  2. ^ Walljasper, Jay (Sep 1989). "Recommended Recordings". Utne Reader. No. 35. p. 22.
  3. ^ Snowden, Don (4 June 1989). "Women Make Inroads in Non-Western Pop". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 58.
  4. ^ "Chaba Fadela Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  5. ^ Gilmour, Rachael; Steinitz, Tamar (August 23, 2017). Multilingual Currents in Literature, Translation and Culture. Routledge.
  6. ^ World Music: The Rough Guide. Vol. 1. Rough Guides Ltd. 1999. p. 423.
  7. ^ Jones, Christa (February 2013). "Raï and Politics Do Not Mix: Musical Resistance during the Algerian Civil War". The French Review. 86 (3): 476.
  8. ^ Stout, Gene (July 6, 1990). "Rakumi Arts' 1990 summer series concludes...". What's Happening. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. 18.
  9. ^ Burnes, John (9 June 1989). "'You Are Mine' Chaba Fadela". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. F5.
  10. ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 258.
  11. ^ a b Brown, Joe (12 Apr 1989). "Sirens of the Old World". The Washington Post. p. B7.
  12. ^ Toombs, Mikel (July 10, 1990). "Touring Algerian couple puts passion into hybrid African music". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. D6.
  13. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (2 Apr 1989). "From Paris, Algerian Pop". The New York Times. p. A30.
  14. ^ a b "Chaba Fadela You Are Mine". AllMusic.
  15. ^ a b Heim, Chris (13 Apr 1989). "Rave recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 15A.
  16. ^ a b "Chaba Fadela". Robert Christgau.
  17. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 360.
  18. ^ Christgau, Robert (Feb 28, 1989). "Dancing on a Logjam: Singles Rool in a World Up for Grabs". The Village Voice.
  19. ^ Barber, Lynden (January 24, 1989). "As an example of East-meets-West...". News and Features. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 14.