just the occasional reminder of the old passion and anger." Denselow felt his album Tékitoi (2004) was his "most powerful, direct fusion of rock and North African styles to date." Denselow wrote: The New York Times wrote about Taha's song "Ah Mon Amour": BBC News music critic Martin Vennard described Taha's music as a "seductive mixture of traditional North African, rock, techno and dance music." Canadian music critic Philly Markowitz named a Taha album one of the best in 2005. French music critic Amobe Mevegue described Taha as an "eclectic artist". Discography and filmography Personal life and death Taha was described as "gregarious" and "quick with a smile." A person who liked to party throughout the night, he also had a cosmopolitan group of friends. Taha was quoted as saying "I've never wanted to just stay in my own neighborhood, my own community ... It's a kind of conformism. You have to be adventurous." Taha was not fond of contemporary French cinema and said "I'd much rather watch some dumb Hollywood movie than another haute bourgeois auteurist piece of crap." He was a critic of the Bush administration although he made comments favoring a bombing raid on Iran, and said that "Iran shouldn't be allowed to have nukes." Taha suffered from Chiari malformation diagnosed in 1987. "I'm tired of people thinking I'm a drunk on stage. While these are the symptoms of Arnold Chiari disease. I'm stumbling because I'm losing my balance. I'm wavering. It generates a disruption in the body."Taha died from a heart attack in his sleep on 12 September 2018, six days before his 60th birthday. He is survived by his longtime partner Véronique Pré and their son, Lyes. A posthumous album, Je suis Africain, previously finished before his death, was released on September 20, 2019. References Plastino, Goffredo (2003). Mediterranean Mosaic: Popular Music and Global Sounds''. Routledge. . External links Rachid Taha Official Site Rachid Taha Bio, Pictures and Photos Read an album review of Diwân 2 at Allaboutjazz.com Rachid Taha "Rock El Casbah" on Youtube Rachid Taha song appears on Saturday Night Live, ArabMp3.Site 1958 births 2018 deaths Algerian emigrants to France Musicians from Oran Kabyle people Raï musicians Wrasse Records artists People from Sig Knitting Factory Records artists Island Records artists Barclay Records artists 20th-century Algerian male singers 21st-century Algerian male singers English-language singers from Algeria