Hakim

Hakim sacrifices neither accessibility nor tradition in pursuit of the perfect song. And he gets there, more often than not. Merengue singer Olga Tanon fits right in on the flamenco-tinged "Ya Albi," while the title track is the perfect electronic-influenced bellydance song. "Habet" really shows of Hakim's vocal chops, and "Ya'Maya" plumbs deeper territory.

Mixing producers from Natacha Atlas svengalis Trans-Global Underground to jazz-funk hack Narada Michael Walden to several actual Egyptians, risking a Moorish duet with Puerto Rican merengue diva Olga Tañón and countenancing the cornball soul shouts of an unidentified co-conspirator I fear is Walden himself, Hakim could have come up with crossover crap, and without crossing over. Instead he provides an object lesson in world fusion--even when it doesn't translate all the way, Hakim's barely contained enthusiasm and pervasive musical intelligence give you something to take home to mama. Figure that when producers outdo themselves this much, it's probably the singer's fault. (Grade - A-)