Cheb i Sabbah’s La Kahena has debuted at #5 on Billboard’s World Music Chart and #1 on iTunes since its release. On his long awaited new studio CD, La Kahena, the Algerian born Cheb i Sabbah returns to the roots of his native North Africa gathering some of the most distinctive female singers from the Maghreb in a studio in Morocco. AfroPop magazine writes, “La Kahena, a record as nominally treated and stunningly gorgeous as the Indian predecessors. Recording an array of female vocalists from Arab, Jewish, Berber and European backgrounds over eight tracks, Sabbah has upped the ante on the future of African music.”
Crafted by the dexterous hands of numerous recurring characters, La Kahena is the work of many guided by the One brilliant idea. Bill Laswell’s signature bass lines cannot be missed, and Karsh Kale’s sturdy tabla is evident. MIDIval PunditZ’s Gaurav Raina returns to ProTool the record to the superior standard he set on Krishna Lila.