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2> FAUDEL Samra (Mondo Melodia, 2001) The young hipster on the scene is known as the "Little Prince of Rai." Born in 1978 in France to Algerian immigrant parents, he has grown up with traditional Algerian music at home as well as the full scope of international music. He began singing at weddings as a boy and, by the age offifteen, he was an opening act for the legendary Khaled. Faudel is fearless at playing with styles as diverse as funk, reggae, salsa and jungle, and he's adept at all of them. His new disc, Samra, produces musical whiplash as the tracks jump from an R&B ballad like "Je Me Souviens" to rave-ready techno dance number "Rohi," but Faudel modulates his phrasing and delivery to meld his Arabic, French and Spanish lyrics with each new genre. Each song holds together like a bullet and it's an impressive album. If you want to hear him sing straight rai, check out 1 2 3 Soleils, a live concert album from 1998 which features the King of Rai, Khaled and Faudel singing old classics, backed by 65 musicians including Egyptian diva Um Kalthum's string section. As a record of where rai is coming from, there is no better example than 123 Soleils; but Faudel's Samra is where the music is heading. He's one to watch. 3> RACHID TAHA Made III Medina (Barclay, 2000) Rachid Taha, nicknamed the "Revolutionary of Rai", is an Oran-born, Paris-based musi- cian who has been bucking trends in rai for a couple of decades. Each new album pushes the boundaries of the music. As a young immigrant in rural France he experienced racist taunts throughout high school, and his songs frequently comment on social injustice. In the 1980s when a wave of right wing nationalism swept through French politics, he formed Carte de Sejour (Residence Permit) a punk rock band that had a huge hit with an Arab-inflected ironic cover of a classic chanson called "Douce France" (Kind France). He struck out on his own in the early 1990S and, with his English producer Steve Hillage, has created a series of albums that zigzag between styles: 1994'S Ole, Ole is a infectious col- lection of techno dance while 1998's Diwan updated a series of classic Egyptian and Algerian hits from the 1950s, tastefully blending dance beats with the more traditional sounds of the zither and oud. His latest outing is Made In Medina and it's the most adven- turous rai album in years. Imagine Led Zeppelin, circa 1974, crashlanding into Oran-this rock and rai fusion features power chords and some of Rachid's most impassioned and raw vocals. Stylistically, Taha doesn't match Mami's beautiful arabesques; his gruffer voice growls and shouts with gut-renching urgency, especially on the ferociously ener- getic tracks "Barra Barra" and "Foqt Foqt." Much of the album was recorded in New Orleans and incorporates some of that city's natural funkiness in stutter backbeat drums and wailing guitar. Pushing the mix even further, the album includes guest vocals from Afrobeat star Femi Kuti and Egyptian percussion from Hossan Ramzy. Taha is simply in a class by himself. o Go way beyond the software that came with your CD burner with the powerful and new CD burning software suite-Easy CD Creator®5 Platinum. Easy CD Creator Platinum lets you do just about anything with MP3s. Burn MP3s to CDs and pop them into your car or home stereo. Rip MP3S from your own music collection. Tweak the highs and lows to get just the right sound. Gather up your CDs, vinyls, tapes, and MP3s-to create mixes all your own. Now you can make professional-sounding CDs adding transitions and special effects. Create your own custom jewel cases for that personal touch. Edit, enhance, and share your digital photos and videos. Add special effects to your photos. Create a digital slide show and add your favorite music. Send your friends a video postcard. Now organizing and protecting all your important digital tiles is fast and simple. Roxio lets you use CDs almost the same way you'd use a floppy or hard drive. Drag. Drop. Share. It's that easy. Do it all with the best selling CD burning software in the world. Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum, from Roxio. Availab Ie at your local retailer or www.roxio.com