Zebda

"We who live by rock and rai and accordion/On the periphery of commercial hits" is a line from Zebda's hometown portrait Toulouse and that's a pretty accurate capsule description of where the French band, fronted by three second-generation North African immigrants, fits among the Euro-mix crew. Rough-and-ready ragamuffin reggae and rapid-fire rapped vocals, Arabic flourishes, touches of French café accordion, a savvy command of dynamics, and well-constructed arrangements smoothly blending those elements into a distinctive whole complete the musical picture. This group uses lyrics celebrating life and diversity as much as they criticize social ills and a multi-faceted musical mix geared toward making audiences think as they dance. ~ Don Snowden