Paralleling the origins of the Western world's early rock & roll, punk, and hip-hop (as well as the blues and reggae), rai originated in Algeria's underclass as homegrown recreational art. The personal became political, and as its popularity (and controversy) grew, the music--marked by raw, provocative, and willful vocals--became a beautifully uplifting and rebellious expression, a flag claimed and raised high by Algeria's young. One of the form's earliest innovators, Cheb Mami fled to Paris where he has for two decades been a rising star, blending rai with dance, hip-hop, funk, and rock, in a string of ever-more accessible recordings. His international calling card, however, was backing Sting on the if-you-haven't-heard-it-you've-been-living-under-a-rock "Desert Rose." Neither a purist nor a misstep-fearing artist, Mami goes for broke with his brave new record, Dellali. Sinewy, sophisticated, and genre-expansive, Dellali features Mami's barbed-wire vocals cutting through multi-layered fields of wild and orchestral violin, accordion, cello, oud, and drums. In turnabout, Sting backs Mami on a track, and late Nashville sensation Chet Atkins is on guitar on backing vocals. But the most shimmering and soulful moments come when the London Community Gospel Choir bust a glorious move to make Dellali a grandiose explosion of nearly perfect sound. 　　 　　 　　-- Paige La Grone