| Liberté | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Khaled |
| Border: | yes |
| Genre: | Raï |
| Label: | Wrasse Records, AZ Records |
| Producer: | Martin Meissonnier |
| Prev Title: | Best of Khaled |
| Prev Year: | 2007 |
| Year: | 2009 |
| Next Year: | 2012 |
Liberté is the sixth studio album by Khaled. Released in 2009, the album is Khaled's first studio album to feature original material following a five-year hiatus.[1] The album marks a shift to a more acoustic Raï orientated sound.[2] However, in contrast to his previous work, the album incorporates elements of Gnawa music,[3] as seen on the track "Gnaoui.[4] It also features Egyptian string performances recorded in Cairo.[2] [5] The album was recorded in the studio under live conditions to replicate the energy of his live performances.[2] [3]
The meaning of the title track "Liberté" has been described by the artist as the attainment of freedom at the cost of ones innocence.[5] Khaled describes "Sidi Rabbi" as a prayer for repentance for any pain he has caused to his parents.[5] The album features two covers two songs by the Algerian artist Blaoui Houari; "Zabana" and "Papa".[3] Zabana is a tribute to Ahmed Zabana, the first man to be executed by the French in Oran during the Algerian War of Independence;[3] [5] whereas "Papa" is a tribute to the memory of his late father and was co-written with French musician Philippe Gouadin.[3]
The Guardian, Friday 8 May 2009, in reviewing the CD, commenced with the comment that "Khaled, the "king of Rai", became a celebrity across Europe and the Middle East in the early 1990s, provoking scenes worthy of Beatlemania..." and noted that the new CD continued his "growing interest in acoustic styles".[4]
On November 21, 2009, Khaled performed tracks from the album at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.[5]
The booklet of the French release on AZ contains French translations, but not the Arabic sung texts.