Cheb Khaled

This was the first "post-Cheb" Khaled recording, trimming down the Cheb Khaled name while beefing up his accessibility to the French, and soon American, pop music markets. Under the production wings of Don Was, the funk master, and Michael Brook, the mood maker, he expanded from the cheesy synth-and-drum machine sound of street level rai and made his first bid for international stardom. It's a mixed bag, with a few songs finding new turf for the gritty rai sound and mixing it up with some real American R&B. He tosses in some nice flamenco and Moroccan touches here and there, as well. Many others fail to capture either the raw energy of Algerian pop or Khaled's growing pop sophistication. --Louis Gibson