For most in the Western Hemisphere, Cheb Mami will always be that guy who sang with Sting on "Desert Rose," a song that became a surprise hit in 2000, thanks in large part to Mami's mesmerizing vocal performance.
In Northern Africa, however, Mami is a star in his own right.
The native of Algeria is arguably the most popular performer of rai, a percussive music built around the djembe and derbouka, as well as mixing in modern dance, reggae rhythms, and often politically charged lyrics.
Fresh off the success of "Desert Rose," Mami has released Dellali, and he brings Sting along with him for the ride.
This time, it's Sting who backs up Mami on the track "Ana Oualache," which also incorporates a gospel choir.
"Le Rai C'est Chic" mixes his trademark falsetto voice with some synthesized vocals à la Roger Troutman.
He also pays homage to French singer Charles Aznavour with "Viens Habibi." Amid the swirl of styles and influences, Mami's mesmerizing falsetto voice stands above everything else.
Whether it's singing behind Sting or in front of a gospel choir, Mami's talent is too strong to be ignored.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Rai C'est ChicCheb Mami | Cheb Mami | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Viens HabibiCharles Aznavour | Cheb Mami | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | MadaniteCheb Mami | Cheb Mami | Play | 03:55 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Rim Lachoua | Cheb Mami | Play | 05:15 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Yahamami | Cheb Mami | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Ana Oualache | Cheb Mami | Play | 05:31 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Ma Vie 2 Fois | Cheb Mami | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Tzazae | Cheb Mami | Play | 05:27 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Zarartou | Cheb Mami | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Mamazareh | Cheb Mami | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Machi Chaba | Cheb Mami | Play | 04:46 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | HaoulouCheb Mami | Cheb Mami | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Khalouni | Cheb Mami | Play | 05:44 | 13 MB | 0 MB |
| 58 mins | 133 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamya Al-Mughiery | Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | Chet Atkins | Guest Artist, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Classical), Vocals (Background) |
| 3 | Charles Aznavour | Composer |
| 4 | Jerry Barnes | Guitar (Bass) |
| 5 | Kouider Berkane | Violin |
| 6 | Miles Copeland | Executive Producer, Liner Notes |
| 7 | Toni Economides | Engineer, Mixing |
| 8 | Dawn Elder | Executive Producer |
| 9 | English Chamber Orchestra | Strings |
| 10 | Frank Filipetti | Mixing |
| 11 | Jan Folkson | Drum Programming, Pro-Tools |
| 12 | Stevo Glendinning | Executive Producer |
| 13 | Omar Hakim | Drums |
| 14 | Richard Hilton | Assistant Engineer, Digital Editing, Engineer, Keyboards, Mixing, Pro-Tools |
| 15 | Bill Holloman | Saxophone, Trumpet |
| 16 | Stephen Hussey | Conductor |
| 17 | Louis Jardim | Bells, Cabassa, Cymbals, Darbouka, Percussion, Udu |
| 18 | London Community Gospel Choir | Vocals |
| 19 | Cheb Mami | Accordion, Composer, Primary Artist |
| 20 | Nasser | Darbouka |
| 21 | Ross Petersen | Assistant Engineer |
| 22 | Nile Rodgers | Guest Artist, Guitar (Electric), Producer |
| 23 | Philippe Saisse | Keyboards, Synthesizer |
| 24 | Nitin Sawhney | Choir Arrangement, Guitar, Keyboards, Mixing, Producer, Programming |
| 25 | Sting | Guest Artist |
| 26 | Gary Tole | Engineer, Mixing, Mixing Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |