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You Are Mine
Studio album by Chaba Fadela
Released	1988
Genre	Raï
Label	Mango
Producer	Rachid Baba Ahmed
Chaba Fadela chronology
You Are Mine (1988) Hana Hana (1989)

You Are Mine is the debut album by the Algerian musician Chaba Fadela. It was released in 1988. "N'sel Fik (You Are Mine)" was sung with Fadela's ex-husband; it had been an international hit. The album is also referred to as pop-raï. Fadela supported You Are Mine with a North American tour.

Production

Recorded in Algeria, the album was produced by Rachid Baba Ahmed. Fadela recorded her vocals first, with the musical backing added by Ahmed. Ahmed mixed instruments such as the derbouka with synthesizer sounds. The title track first appeared internationally on the Rai Rebels compilation.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Chicago Tribune
Robert Christgau	A−
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide

Robert Christgau called "N'Sel Fik" "rai's most incandescent and universal moment, one of the greatest singles of the decade," writing that "Oran superproducer Rachid outdoing rather than compromising himself as he aims for the bigger time"; Christgau also wrote that he considered the title track to be the single of the year for 1988. The New York Times wrote that "Fadela's voice pours out throaty vulnerability, her notes sliding and breaking in straightforward productions."

The Washington Post praised "Fadela's roughly sensual voice." The Chicago Tribune wrote that the music "builds from a hypnotic minor-key tradition by adding vibrant African and Western dance rhythms, rich French and Spanish melodies, high-tech instrumentation and scandalous lyrics." The Sydney Morning Herald deemed the album "an Arabic music that uses modern instrumentation and pertinent lyrics to upset its own society."

AllMusic noted that "'N'sel Fik', by Fadela and her husband Cheb Sahraoui, is the biggest Algerian hit in the country's history."

Track listing

References

1. Lavie, Smadar; Swedenburg, Ted (July 22, 2013). Displacement, Diaspora, and Geographies of Identity. Duke University Press.
2. Walljasper, Jay (Sep 1989). "Recommended Recordings". Utne Reader. No. 35. p. 22.
3. Snowden, Don (4 June 1989). "Women Make Inroads in Non-Western Pop". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 58.
4. "Chaba Fadela Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
5. Gilmour, Rachael; Steinitz, Tamar (August 23, 2017). Multilingual Currents in Literature, Translation and Culture. Routledge.
6. World Music: The Rough Guide. Vol. 1. Rough Guides Ltd. 1999. p. 423.
7. Jones, Christa (February 2013). "Raï and Politics Do Not Mix: Musical Resistance during the Algerian Civil War". The French Review. 86 (3): 476.
8. Stout, Gene (July 6, 1990). "Rakumi Arts' 1990 summer series concludes...". What's Happening. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. 18.
9. Burnes, John (9 June 1989). "'You Are Mine' Chaba Fadela". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. F5.
10. ^ MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 258.
11. ^ Brown, Joe (12 Apr 1989). "Sirens of the Old World". The Washington Post. p. B7.
12. Toombs, Mikel (July 10, 1990). "Touring Algerian couple puts passion into hybrid African music". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. D6.
13. ^ Pareles, Jon (2 Apr 1989). "From Paris, Algerian Pop". The New York Times. p. A30.
14. ^ "Chaba Fadela You Are Mine". AllMusic.
15. ^ Heim, Chris (13 Apr 1989). "Rave recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 15A.
16. ^ "Chaba Fadela". Robert Christgau.
17. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 360.
18. Christgau, Robert (Feb 28, 1989). "Dancing on a Logjam: Singles Rool in a World Up for Grabs". The Village Voice.
19. Barber, Lynden (January 24, 1989). "As an example of East-meets-West...". News and Features. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 14.

• Chaba Fadela albums
• 1988 debut albums
• Mango Records albums