While U.S. media coverage of the Middle East since Sept. 11 has focused on the region’s undercurrent of anti-Western sentiment, many in the area see no conflict between traditional Arab culture and modern Western music. And that’s certainly evident in the work of Arab pop singers Khaled and Hakim. Algerian vocalist Khaled has been dubbed the “King of Rai,” a style that fuses traditional Algerian melodies and instruments with contemporary club grooves, creating a sinuously lyrical, exotic sound whose liberal message has reportedly exposed Khaled to fundamentalist death threats. Egyptian-born Hakim is renowned for his club-friendly update of sha’bi, an Egyptian pop style that merges classic folk melodies with faster, more contemporary dance rhythms.
HAKIM and KHALED perform Thursday at the Riviera Theater, 4746 N. Racine Ave.; 312-559-1212.
DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN, Friday at the Chicago Theater (sold out): At a time when C&W radio is slavishly devoted to photogenic lightweights (Shania Twain) and crass commercialism (Garth Brooks), the surprising success of the “O Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack and renewed interest in bluegrass ranks as one of today’s most inspiring music stories. This superlative “O Brother”-inspired bluegrass revue will feature Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Ralph Stanley, Del McCoury Band, Rhonda Vincent, Norman and Nancy Blake and many others.
CRAIG DAVID, Tuesday and Wednesday at House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St.; 312-923-2000: Soul music is in the midst of a major renaissance as artists cross its classic sound with contemporary innovations, and British singer-songwriter Craig David’s “Born to Do It” CD is a perfect example. David’s disc blends lilting, acoustic R&B (a la Babyface) with bits of hip-hop and loads of London-based club sounds (jungle, two-step) to create an electro-soul fusion rich in lush melody and sparkling sonic textures.
SONNY LANDRETH, Friday and Saturday at FitzGerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn; 708-788-2118: Lots of musicians are richer and more famous than masterly Louisiana slide guitarist Sonny Landreth, but few are more widely respected. Best known for his work with John Hiatt, Landreth is worth the price of admission just for his unique, jaw-dropping slide technique. However, he’s also a sharp bayou blues-rock songsmith, and his recent “Levee Town” CD is a classic.
FU MANCHU, Thursday at the Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave.; 773-489-3160: Imagine Stonehenge as a 100-story skyscraper and you’ve got an idea of what Fu Manchu is doing with hard-rock fundamentals (cowbell clanging, lyrics about souped-up cars, low-riff axes roaring like hogs on a desert highway). While the quartet’s previous efforts at leather-vested, hairy-chested rock were impressive (though a bit same-y), Fu Manchu’s new CD, “California Crossing,” is a hook-strewn, biker-rock gem that can hold its own with “Back in Black” and “Tres Hombres.”
OTHER CONCERTS
CREED, Wednesday at the Allstate Arena (sold out): Confusion, alienation and despair have been staples of teenage music for decades, and groups like the Who and Nirvana did a brilliant job of distilling those emotions into a few catchy chords and poignant lyrical couplets. Creed, on the other hand, pumps youthful self-absorption into bloated, bombastic, hard-rock huffing and puffing that confuses bewildered agitation with profundity.
AARON CARTER, Friday at the Allstate Arena, 6920 Mannheim Rd., Rosemont; 312-559-1212: Aaron Carter is 14 years old. He’s the younger brother of a Backstreet Boy, and a former cast member of “Seussical.” After hearing the peppy pubescent white rapping on Carter’s recent “Oh Aaron” CD, the late Dr. Seuss might have revised the record’s title to: “Yeek! There’s a Squeak in Banality Creek.”
CONCRETE BLONDE, Friday at the Vic Theater, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave.; 312-559-1212: During its earlier 1987-1994 career, Concrete Blonde did a decent job of projecting a kind of chic, art-school decadence, but it didn’t do such a good job of hiding the fact that its lead singer had no voice and its songwriters mimicked the work of better bands. Somehow, the band scored a couple rock radio hits, and that success clearly inspired the new comeback CD, “Group Therapy,” which finds the trio’s skills and ambition as ill matched as ever.
Also: Sevendust, Friday at House of Blues; Lee Rocker and Scotty Moore, Monday at Schubas; Luis Miguel, Monday at the Allstate Arena; Static X, Tuesday at the Riviera.
