by Don Snowden"We who live by rock and rai and accordion/On the periphery of commercial hits" is a line from Zebda's hometown portrait Toulouse and that's a pretty accurate capsule description of where the French band fronted by three second-generation North African immigrants fits among the Euro-mix crew. Rough-and-ready ragamuffin reggae and rapid-fire rapped vocals, Arabic flourishes, touches of French café accordion, a savvy command of dynamics, and well-constructed arrangements smoothly blending those elements into a distinctive whole complete the musical picture. Zebda never lost touch with the Toulouse neighborhood roots that nourished its biting social commentaries and street-life portrayals, using its popularity and influence to stage cultural and political initiatives back in the 'hood. Zebda (which means butter in Arabic) formed in 1985 to provide the soundtrack for a music video put out by a neighborhood group in Toulouse. Lyricis...