U-Cef

More wide-ranging and accomplished than its 2007 predecessor, U-Cef's Halalwood is hyped up, collaboration-heavy and almost breathless in its pursuit of your attention. After the disappointing opener with electronic wizards Mirror System, the album roars into action, liberating Moroccan music from the tyranny of ethnomusicology and making it a vital player in global hip-hop. U-Cef's a musical supercollider -- Gnawa percussion, rappers and rock 'n' roll hit maximum velocity in songs like the glorious, loudmouthed "Boolandrix," leaving even star collaborators like Damon Albarn in the dust.