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Cheb Nasro is a proponent of Rai music, the northern Africa sound that fuses western rhythms with Far Eastern beats. DEPARTURES is his first release to actually see official world-wide distribution. Though he is a resident of the United States, he has been largely unknown here, notwithstanding the acquaintance of the rest of the world with his music. DEPARTURES should change that.

Nasro hasn't been blessed with the strongest voice, and adjusts his material accordingly. The two tracks which begin DEPARTURES, "Fatima" and "Enfin Enfin, " are hyperkinetic dance tracks that get the feet moving and the blood flowing.  The melody bobs and swirls around Nasro's vocals. Things slow down a bit on Akadt Aalik Gualbi" and while they pick back up on "El-Hob Saib" Nasro never quite regains his former momentum until "Mon Amour." Still, things are not bad at all here. Even on the ballads Nasro is able to express emotions which transcend the language barrier here for those of us whose knowledge of bilingual is limited to the performance of any act which utilizes two tongues. Still, it must be kept in mind that this is not a world dance CD, and as such is a bit of a departure from the loin's share of Mondo Melodia releases. Once the listener is over that particular hump, and can lion's Nasro and his music on their own terms, DEPARTURES is certainly worth a listen.

DEPARTURES, like any number of the current crop of world music releases on labels like Mondo Melodia and Putumayo, are certainly worth exploring as an anecdote to the radio rock atmosphere that most labels, and acts, appear to be catering to in the states. While some of this may be an acquired taste, it should not be a difficult one to ultimately appreciate. Who knows, the Next Big Thing may not even speak English. What a concept.