Yousssou N’Dour Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take)

2007

With Rokku Mi Rokka (Give And Take), Senegal’s king of mbalax continues the journey deep inside the traditions of his country that began with the release of Nothing’s In Vain and the Grammy-winning Egypt, the two albums now considered his most remarkable achievements to date. More than 25 years into a career that scaled heights once unimaginable for African music, he is still setting the pace for all artists in West Africa. “What keeps me passionate about music is the freedom I have,” he says. “The freedom to use different sounds and find different vibes. I started my professional life interpreting Cuban music, then I sang mbalax and pop, and I think that if I had stayed in one style I would have got a little tired. But, you know, I also have a reputation for bringing something new to the world outside Africa.” Born in 1959, Youssou first achieved fame as a twelve-year-old who sang at religious ceremonies; by sixteen he was a de facto star, singing with one of the most popular bands of the 1970s, Etoile De Dakar. In the 1980s, as leader of the Super Etoile, he developed a new African form of music known as mbalax. “The problem for some people is that mbalax is a complex music. If you don’t know our language, Wolof, or our culture, you will get confused, you won’t understand the references. So I had to take a decision to make it easy for people to understand me. I want to communicate with everybody.” With the global hit single “7 Seconds”, Youssou achieved his goal of reaching out to the whole world. “It opened doors for me and for my music,” he smiles, “It was a magical opportunity.” But with the planet waiting for another “7 Seconds”, he turned his back on making pop records and drew his new audience into the world of traditional Senegalese music (on Nothing’s In Vain, released in 2002) and spirituality (on Egypt, a collaboration with the Fathy Salama Orchestra, released in 2004). On Rokku Mi Rokka, he continues his adventures in traditional music, but with a twist. “The music and inspiration on this album are from the north, from the desert, from parts of the country that border on Mali and Mauritania. People from those countries will know and understand this music as well as people who come from the centre of Senegal. “Some people might think Senegalese music means mbalax, which is Wolof, the most important language in the country, everybody speaks it. But all my life I have been saying that this is not the only music we have in Senegal, we have a wide range of sounds and rhythms. When it came to writing the songs for this album, I wanted to use different sounds. “Sometimes you will hear a little blues on the album, a little reggae, a bit of Cuba. In Africa, we get excited when we hear these rhythms, because we feel them, they are ours, but they left Africa with the slaves a long time ago. Rokku Mi Rokka means ‘You give me something, I give you something’ and that’s the message of the album: we have received a lot from the developed world, but remember that we brought a lot, too.” It’s this interaction between two worlds that intrigues N’Dour in 2007. Last year, he appeared in his first Hollywood movie, playing the freed slave Olaudah Equiano in the film Amazing Grace, which told the story of William Wilberforce’s efforts to abolish slavery. “When I read Equiano’s autobiography, I understood that he and I are trying to do a lot of the same things. A lot of the African story about the abolition of slavery remains untold.”

In 2005, he was the sole African to sing on the London stage of Live 8, where he performed “7 Seconds” with Dido before taking a helicopter to appear at the Cornwall concert, and then a plane to the Paris show. “There was a real misunderstanding in the organisation of those concerts. I think people like Bob Geldof and Bono now know they would have to involve African musicians if there was another project like this.” But if Live 8 cemented Youssou’s position as the most important African musician of his time, there have been growing rumours that he considering moving into politics. “No, I don’t need to be a politician. A lot of problems in Africa are caused by people getting important political positions when they are not experienced politicians. I’m involved in justice, in human rights: what I’m doing is more than politics and I’m doing my best while following my passion, my music.” And so, in 2006, Youssou returned to Xippi Studios. “We recorded about 20 songs and then we had to decide how to mix them. It’s crazy, but Africans like the sound of keyboards and modern instruments, the rest of the world wants Africa’s traditional instruments, but audiences in Africa won’t react to the music unless we use modern instruments. The only thing both audiences like is lots of space for my voice. I have to mix the songs not to sell, but to deliver them to different audiences, so there is an African version and one for the rest of the world.” To ensure the necessary authenticity in the songs he was writing, Youssou sought out Bah Mody, one of the north’s most popular singers. “Next year, I’m going to help him record his own album, I really want people to hear what he can do. We had this great feeling going between us, the direction we took is the result of real teamwork.” For the music, Youssou returned to the band he helped form a quarter of a century ago, the Super Etoile, and old friends Habib Faye (bass), Babacar “Mbaye Dieye” Faye (percussion) and Papa Oumar Ngom (guitar), who have been part of Youssou’s journey for more than 20 years. “They are not from the north, but they are Senegalese, they understand exactly what is happening in the north, the south and the centre. What I believe is that the instruments are not the important thing. What matters is the expression. I can choose from a lot of great musicians when I record, but these guys understand how to express what I am looking for.” There are a few addition to the team, however. The Malian musician Bassekou Kouyaté, previously best know as a member of Ali Farka Touré’s band, adds ngoni, a four-stringed ancestor of the banjo, to Sama Gàmmu. The same song also features the voice of Ousmane Kangue a singer from the north, described by Youssou as simply “great, like Baaba Maal”. Additionally Balla Sidibe and Rudy Gomis of Orchestra Baobab, who were in N’Dour’s studio recording their album on the day he recorded this “Xel”, sing on that track. The return of Neneh Cherry, who duets with Youssou on “Wake Up (It’s Africa Calling)”, was a definite highpoint of the sessions. “Neneh and ‘7 Seconds’ have been a huge part of my career since 1994, and we kept a connection. She looks like my sister, and we were these people from Africa who were delivering a message to the world. We’re not trying to have another ‘7 Seconds’ as this is a much more African-sounding song, featuring our instruments, such as kora. Neneh really liked the vibe we had. We come from the same continent and have a message. “Music is a language, maybe the first language, and I use it to deliver a message because people can hear it and understand it first, quicker than if they waited for a newspaper. I sing about reality, about my society, which is more than just Senegal or Africa. I sing about the world.”

http://www.imnworld.com/youssoundour http://www.youssou.com/

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YOUSSOU N’DOUR - ROKKU MI ROKKA (GIVE AND TAKE)

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

‘The third in a brilliant run of LPs steeped in traditional music. He’s rarely sounded more content. * * * *’

Mojo

'For the past 13 years, the Senegal star has been synonymous with one record. This LP should alter that. This adventurous and extraordinary album feels like a new pinnacle in

Youssou's career. Blissfully good. * * * * *'

Observer Music Monthly

‘N’Dour hits the spot with an album of joyous songs. Outstanding. * * * * *’

BBC Music Magazine - November World Music Choice

‘Africa’s biggest singing star returns to his roots. It’s the record many have been urging him to make for years. * * * *’

Uncut

‘His best release in ages. A vibrant and cohesive piece of work. A genuinely good African pop album, which revels radiantly in its Senegalese roots.'

fRoots

‘The Senegalese superstar's rootsiest release for ages. The album is N'Dour's best for years. * * * * *’

Financial Times

‘The most Senegalese-sounding of his international releases in a long time.’

Songlines - Senegalese Sounds: Must-Own Classics

‘A good, stripped down African album that showcases a whole new rhythmic armoury. At the centre of everything is his incredible voice -

a thing of wonder throughout.’

Jazzwise

‘His most nimble and exciting album in years. The approach is acoustic and exuberant, the instrumentalists dazzle. Champion.’

Observer

‘Rokku Mi Rokka captures this versatile artist/ producer in his prolific prime. Great music on a global scale. * * * *’

Metro

‘One of Africa’s greatest voices has found a fresh, sparking new direction.’

Music Week

Los Angeles Times

December 3, 2007

WORLD MUSIC REVIEW:

Grooving to the beat of N'Dour

The Senegalese star's wild rhythms have 'em dancing in the aisles at Royce, rules or no rules. By Don Heckman Special to The Times There's always a full house for Youssou N'Dour's performances, and Saturday night was no exception at UCLA's Royce Hall. The Senegalese singer-composer, a global superstar, was greeted by a capacity crowd and a huge surge of applause as he strolled onstage to the irresistible rhythms of his 10-piece Super Etoile de Dakar ensemble. Or, at least, seemingly irresistible. N'Dour must have been startled when the crowd -- despite the whoops and shouts of enthusiasm -- initially seemed physically unresponsive to the visceral blandishments of his mbalax style. After two or three numbers, he took matters into his own hands, saying: "Don't you want to dance? Come, you can dance." That's all that was needed to release the genie from the bottle. In a flash, the area in front of the stage was filled with animated Terpsichores, arms and legs moving wildly in all directions, the hall's usual restrictions against filling the aisles shoved aside by the sheer ebullience of the moment. That was pretty much the last time most of the crowd remained seated. The sheer vitality of N'Dour's music almost demands physical movement, and if it wasn't possible to participate in the vibrant choreographic displays taking place in front of the stage, there was plenty of room for in-place grooving. N'Dour responded to this rush of ardor by dialing up the already dynamic intensity of the music. A chattering, talking-drum solo by Assane Thiam was the first trigger, followed by a kinetic exhibition from a pair of N'Dour's own athletic dancers, offering an authentic template for the eager aficionados in front of the stage. Stirring guitar solos from the cool but powerful Mamadou Mbaye and a torrent of propulsive rhythm from the four-man percussion team sustained -- and increased -- the exhilaration of the performance. N'Dour played selections from across his varied career, and the music illuminated the essence of his belief -- underscored in the title of his recently released CD, "Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take)" -- in the back-and-forth between contemporary African music and the Western Hemisphere sounds and rhythms created by African slaves. The mixture was constantly compelling -- traces of reggae, calypso, blues and Cuban rhythms, blending seamlessly with N'Dour's soaring melodies, call-and-response vocalizing and surging traditional rhythms. Ultimately, the majority of the audience -- aside from those who had listened closely to his recordings -- probably had little comprehension of the literal subtleties of N'Dour's lyrics. But the sheer quality of his voice, capable of delivering an astonishing range of sounds and timbres, combined with Super Etoile's blend of ensemble craft and spontaneous energy, was more than enough to thrust aside any barriers of language and culture. And that capacity to reach out to listeners in the most primal fashion, to engage them -- as he did with an impassioned call to deal with the spread of HIV-AIDS -- in his own universe of feeling and concern, is what makes N'Dour and his music true representatives, not just of Africa or the globe but of humanity itself.

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Posted: Sun., Dec. 2, 2007, 2:11pm PT

Youssou N'Dour (Royce Hall; 1800 seats; $60 top) Presented by UCLA Live. Reviewed Dec. 1, 2007.

Band: N'Dour, El Hadji Faye, Assane Thiam, Papa Omar Ngom, Ablaye Lo, Moustapha Faye, Birame Dieng,

Mamadou Mbaye, Habib Faye.

By STEVEN MIRKIN

When, six songs into his 18-song set Saturday night, Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour asked to

see some dancers, his audience took the invitation seriously. First a trickle, then a stream of (mostly)

women -- including toddlers dragging their mothers -- ecstatically made their way down the aisles to

the foot of the stage to writhe in ways that the human body was not designed to writhe. Soon the

entire sold-out Royce Hall audience was on its feet.

From that moment, the show -- which was already pretty impressive -- turned from a simple concert to a celebration.

The band's playing became looser, the grooves airier; the song structures less formal and more elastic. The one-chord

vamps stretched out indefinitely, the harmonies changing as the two guitars, bass, keyboards, Assane Thiam's

expressive talking drum and three percussionists shifted, like gears, into different musical patterns. "Bandiene"

increased speed so precipitously, it threatened to take off; "Set" turned a corner, moving from sprightly to thunderous,

with a slight change in the guitar line. It's a sound that reflects the title of his new Nonesuch album, "Rokku Mi Rokka

(Give and Take)."

N'Dour's voice turned more urgent with the aud's enthusiastic reaction, wringing waves of emotion with a repeated

"Senegal" at the end of "Immigrés" and breaking out a precise, aching soprano during "Birima." He can rally like a

trumpet, cajole like a tenor sax and add the grave authority of a French horn. You don't have to speak Wolof to

understand why he has been named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People."

He carries such conviction that the aud stayed on its feet even during a heartfelt speech -- read off a page --

recognizing World AIDS Day, and asking the aud to write representatives to help not only the battle against AIDS, but

malaria. It was followed by the brooding prayer, "New Africa," its swelling keyboards reflecting the influence of Peter

Gabriel. Other influences could be heard throughout the night -- Paul Simon (who collaborated with N'Dour on

"Graceland") on "Baye Fall," and some North African arabesques on the love song "Letema," but N'Dour avoids the

bland diplomacy of "world music." No matter what style he plays, his music remains identifiably his own.

Read the full article at:

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Ottawa Citizen

November 8, 2007 Thursday Final Edition

It's hard for N'Dour to please fans at home and abroad; Westerners want 'pure' African music, Senegalese prefer more modern sound By Peter Culshaw, The Daily Telegraph

The man opposite me in a London hotel looks like a dapper businessman but he's been described by Rolling Stone as "perhaps the most famous singer alive," by Time as one of the planet's 100 most influential people, and by Peter Gabriel as having a "voice of liquid gold".

I'm talking with Senegal's Youssou N'Dour about his unique cultural position as a bridge between the West and Africa. We discuss the street scene in Dakar, Senegal's capital, where the tourist market has ethnic rugs and drums, while the Senegalese go to the market next door to buy iPods and posters of Madonna. The locals and the outsiders both have a powerful fantasy of the other, a cultural dynamic that often makes life uncomfortable for N'Dour.

"More and more these days, the rest of the world loves music from Africa that is pure, traditional and powerful, whereas the Senegalese always want me to do something modern, with keyboards and guitars."

His new album, Rokku Mi Rokka, sees him leaning toward the modern but his previous, acoustic, album, Egypt (2004), highlighted the dilemma. Listeners outside Africa adored the record. It sold well over 100,000 copies and picked up a Grammy, a Mobo and a Radio 3 World Music Award.

"The album wasn't initially liked at all in Senegal -- although they were proud when it achieved such acclaim, and then they started listening to it."

It's not always easy to be in his position, he says. He was criticized for his role in the 2006 film Amazing Grace, which chronicled William Wilberforce's efforts to end slavery. N'Dour played the small part of African abolitionist Olaudaqh Equiano. It was seen by many as tokenistic, as was his appearance at Live 8, which didn't feature other African artists on the main stages.

"It's difficult. With these situations I usually think it's better to do something than nothing. People think that because I'm well known I could have changed how a Hollywood film was made, but that's not true."

He says the experience has made him more interested in producing a film in Senegal himself. As far as Live 8 goes, he now says "If they do something like that again without Africans -- which was a mistake -- I'm not the one who's gonna step in."

Now 48, N'Dour has been in top Senegalese bands since the age of 14, when he joined the Star Band, which played the popular Cuban-influenced music of the time. By the early 1980s, he was forging a new style, mbalax, which incorporated more traditional Senegalese elements, in his group Super Etoile de Dakar. The only initial problem was the opposition of his father, a designer.

"It was a difficult time, but he eventually gave his authorization to me to be a musician."

His father is still a big influence and keeps him from becoming arrogant: "It's very difficult to see my father if I've done anything bad."

N'Dour has seven children. The eldest is 22 and studying for an MBA in the United States. How would he react if one of his children announced he or she wanted to be a musician?

"I would say it's a difficult path, but if they had a big talent, why not?"

N'Dour rather downplays his business empire: "I have a radio station, which I hope to be a place to encourage democracy and liberty, and a club. But they still lose money."

He is more proud of his work combating AIDS and malaria in Senegal. There are many who have said he should run for president of the country, but he says, "I think I'm in a better position where I am. I can support and sometimes denounce. To be a politician you have to learn to lie -- to be an artist you have to be honest."

Since his biggest hit, Seven Seconds, the 1994 duet with Neneh Cherry, some of his records have seemed over-produced, as labels have attempted to replicate the single's million-selling success.

"I've learned enough to produce myself," he says, and tells me he's happier on his current label, Nonesuch, which is more of a boutique art label.

"It's not that anyone exactly told me what to do before. The pressure was more subtle than that. It was more the context."

On Nonesuch, he feels that he is competing with fellow label artists such as the composer John Adams or the jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, artists who have "integrity and respect", like the label.

If Egypt was an album of deep religiosity, an exploration of his mystical Islamic faith, Rokku Mi Rokka, which he produced in his own studio in Dakar, is, he says "more fun. I feel happier. It's more a dancing record. The title means 'You give me something, I give you something', and that's the message of the album: we have received a lot from the developed world, but remember that we brought a lot, too."

Los Angeles Times November 29, 2007 Thursday

MUSIC For Senegal's N'Dour, it's a matter of give-and-take BY Don Heckman

Youssou N'DOUR has been called "the African voice of the century" and "one of the world's greatest singers." That may suggest a whiff of hyperbole, but not in the case of N'Dour, who has been thrilling audiences with his contemporized versions of Senegalese mbalax music for nearly three decades, and who was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people this year.

Add to that his high-profile collaborations with, among others, Peter Gabriel ("In Your Eyes"), Neneh Cherry ("7 Seconds"), Paul Simon, Branford Marsalis, Wyclef Jean and Bruce Springsteen, the release of more than three dozen of his own recordings, and his critically praised acting role as the freed slave Olaudah Equiano in the film "Amazing Grace," and a pretty convincing case could be made for N'Dour as one of the world's most visible and successful international artists.

His performance at UCLA's Royce Hall on Saturday night -- his first Southland appearance since 2005 -- will showcase N'Dour's inimitable vocals, with their sductive timbral span reaching from growling chest tones to emotion-piercing head notes, in a program heavily weighted with material from his recently released CD, "Rokku Mi Rokka."

It's an album that makes a distinct shift of musical and lyrical emphasis from his previous album, the Grammy- winning, Middle Eastern- and Sufi-tinged "Egypt."

"Rokku Mi Rokka" means, in Senegal's Wolof language, "give and take" or, as N'Dour describes it, "You give me something, I give you something" -- a reflection of his persistent desire for a more balanced exchange between Africa and the rest of the world.

The music, N'Dour says, was inspired by traditional sounds from the northern desert area of Senegal, but it also simmers with traces of the blues, reggae and Cuban rhythms.

"When people left Africa -- the slavery thing -- I think a lot of music left with them," he says. "And when we listen to Cuban music or jazz, we feel a part of it coming back. It makes us happy and touches us because it's a part of our own music."

A part that N'Dour has blended perfectly with the traditional teachings he learned from his mother, a griot.

Although his transformation of those traditions into music with beyond-boundaries appeal has had a global influence, N'Dour is the first to honor the roots that are the foundation of his art. "People don't go to school to learn to play West African music," he says. "It's about improvisation and talent, coming family by family, generation by generation."

-- Don Heckman

theguide@latimes.com

--

YOUSSOU N'DOUR

WHERE: Royce Hall, UCLA

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday

PRICE: $38-$50 ($25 UCLA students)

INFO: (310) 825-2101

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Time Out Chicago / Issue 144 : November 29, 2007 - December 5, 2007 On the record

Youssou N’Dour

Legendary Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour—perhaps the most famous musician any African nation has produced—visits Chicago this week to play a rare midsized–venue gig at House of Blues. After giving his new album—the effervescent Rokku Mi Rokka—a spin, we checked in with N’Dour on his newest musical influence, his indefatigable bandmates, and his efforts to convince the rest of the world there’s more to Africa than its struggles with civil war, AIDs, poverty and famine.

Rokku Mi Rokka, a Wolof phrase, translates to “give and take.” What’s the meaning behind it? Behind this is the roots of...you can call it reggae music, Cuban music, soul music. Before, when the slaves left Africa, they left also with music. And “give” means we also give music. This is why, when we listen to reggae, Cuban or soul music, we’re really happy. We feel part of it. And the “take”—I don’t know if we can say we take enough. I don’t think we do.

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Your last album, Egypt, featured an Egyptian orchestra and explored Senegal’s Sufi culture. But this one finds you reunited with your original Super Etoile band whose roots in Dakar, Senegal’s capital, stretch back 30 years. Even though we all do a lot of different things, these musicians are always with me. Because we learned and developed a lot of things together. But sometimes it’s good to give them freedom to do what they really want to do in their solo careers before bringing them back later.

How do you keep it all going? There are two ways. The first is we’re friends who really like each other—that’s important. And the other thing is people are here because they know my vision is to share the stage. In part of my show they have the possibility to express what they think.

Are you returning to mbalax, the wildly rhythmic, Cuban-influenced music you pioneered in Dakar in the late ’70s? Let’s say just music coming from Senegal. Before Egypt, I was thinking about a lot of things I hadn’t touched that were really close to me. But now, yeah, I feel local music or traditional music is more interesting.

On Rokku Mi Rokka you pay homage to music and people from the desert-swept region of north Senegal. I think the best rhythm is maybe coming from the north or south of Senegal. The way the rhythm is approached is something totally connectable with universal rhythm. In the north, what we use to catch the rhythm and the melody is totally different [from mbalax], and some is more melodic than rhythmic.

You’re descended on your mother’s side from Tukulor griots, a hereditary caste of musicians who pass along stories and praise songs. Are they from the north? Yeah. But I didn’t speak the Tukulor language [on the album], I used the national dialect Wolof. And I’m a modern griot—I talk about what happens today.

In your lyrics, it seems you hide larger messages—preserving ethnic

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tradition in the face of modern temptation, for instance—in simple stories. Yeah, definitely. What I’m trying to do is present a different face of Africa people didn’t know. And to say this different face is beautiful, great, and one of happiness.

That’s front-and-center on “Wake Up (It’s Africa Calling),” on which you duet with Neneh Cherry. Is this the first time you’ve worked with her since 1994, when you two scored an international hit with “7 Seconds”? Yeah, but this time is different. I invited Neneh to join me in my style.

You’re also noted for taking a stand for women’s rights in your songs. It’s really important to motivate on behalf of women and children, to fight against contempt in Africa today.

What’s the band lineup look like for this tour? It’s not too many musicians. But we’re going to [support] the album and also play old songs. It will be more acoustic.

Normally, you’d pack stadiums, but this time around you’re playing in smaller venues. I prefer the smaller places. It reminds me of my club in Dakar. I get better feedback from the crowd.

How has the music scene in Dakar been evolving lately? Dakar has a lot of things happening. A lot of the old generation, like Orchestra Baobab, is still there, but there’s a lot of young people who play traditional music, acoustic music, reggae, mbalax music and hip-hop. There’s a real diversity of style, and it’s just great.

Youssou N’Dour and Super Etoile play House of Blues Wednesday 5.

— Craig Keller

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Middle man

Youssou N’Dour bridges the gap

By: BANNING EYRE

11/19/2007 5:11:35 PM

NEW TERRITORY: N’Dour’s latest CD looks for the roots ofreggae, blues, and hip-hop in the folklore of the southern Sahara.

As Senegal’s pre-eminent pop singer, Youssou N’Dour has mastered the art of pleasing diverse audiences. His home-town crowd inDakar tends to prefer the percussive crack of the mbalax sound that he pioneered in the late ’70s and has continued to tinker with byadding a more modern high-tech sheen. When he’s abroad, N’Dour’s fans are more apt to look to him for roots grooves spun astranscendent high art. As he tells me over the phone from London, “For us, here in the middle, it’s crazy.”

N’Dour has been producing concept albums for the international world-music market ever since the UK’s Folk Roots magazinenamed him “African Artist of the Century” in 1999. Nothing’s in Vain (2002) was N’Dour stripped down to an acoustic setting; theGrammy-winning Egypt (2004) was a masterful orchestral meditation on Islam. His latest, Rokku Mi Rokka/Give and Take(Nonesuch), looks for the roots of reggae, blues, and hip-hop in the folklore of the southern Sahara. N’Dour and his band, SuperÉtoile, play the Somerville Theatre on December 10, in a World Music event rescheduled from November 24.

Rokku Mi Rokka isn’t the first disc to source New World black pop genres in the African desert — Baaba Maal and Taj Mahal havedone the same. N’Dour, however, homes in on the border region of Senegal, Mali, and Mauritania, the zone where his ears tell himpop music’s most potent DNA lies. American pop has always been part of his mix — he covered the Spinners’ “The RubberbandMan” back in 1985. But when it comes to African roots, his muse has been the propulsive sabar drumming and soaring vocal lyricismof Wolof griots —sub-Saharan sounds. So it’s a welcome surprise to hear him rhapsodizing in the folksy idiom of the nomadic Peul(“Pullo Ardo”), trading verses with the keening, northern voice of Toucouleur singer Ousmane Kange on “Sama Gàmmu,” andveering toward Mauritanian trance music on “Létt Ma,” a story about romance in the desert.

“I cannot say that this is my music,” N’Dour concedes. “But this is the music of West Africa. And when someone plays this music, youdon't know anymore whether they are a Senegalese, a Malian, or a Mauritanian. I think there is a very interesting, and veryemotional, dialogue going on among these peoples.”

The emotional nexus of N’Dour’s best work has never been located in the high concepts, the production æsthetics, or even thechemistry of his 27-year-old juggernaut of a band. It’s in his near-divine voice, relaxed and cheerful on the patriotic pop ditty “4-4-44,”

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wailing at the edge of boyish falsetto on the old-school mbalax of “Bàjjan,” or playing the knife edge of agony and ecstasy amid theclapping, ululating, and plucking and chiming of “Baay Faal,” his celebration of Senegal’s Rasta-like Sufi brotherhood.

He’s always been a social commentator, and on “Dabbaax,” he sings praises to the late, progressive Islamic leader Abdul Aziz Sy ina breathless passion worthy of any griot belter alive. Elsewhere on the disc he scolds sports-related violence (“Sportif”) and suggeststhat for all the culture the world has taken from Africa, it ought to give something back (“Wake Up: It’s Africa Calling”). This lastnumber revisits the style of his 1995 duet with Neneh Cherry, “Seven Seconds.” And though the new song might not have thecommercial success of “Seven Seconds,” its blend of hip-hop and mbalax is far more satisfying. It’s just one more reflection of howthe demands of N’Dour’s far-flung audiences have sharpened his powers.

YOUSSOU N’DOUR | Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville | December 10 at 8 pm | $32-$42 | 617.876.4275

Copyright © 2007 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group

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At forty-eight, the Senegalese singer-bandleader Youssou N'Dour has been the world's most consistentrecord maker all decade. His third album for Nonesuch isn't stone genius like 2002's chanson-inflected Nothing's in Vain or 2004's Sufi-themed Egypt. But N'Dour has learned how not to be swamped by his own internationalism, and herehis strategy of moving a few favorite musicians northto Mali changes up the Senegalese mbalax he invented without surrendering its Sahel gestalt. Translations from the Wolof reveal lyrics about Senegalese independence, Sufi saints, the value of traveling, remembering, thinking. They're worth following, as are the phonetic transliterations. But with N'Dour, the prime attraction is always musical, radiating out from a voice whose skylike clarity and beseeching high end would catch you short in a singer half his age, but always including striking multipart melodies and skilled guitar-bass-drums-drums-drums. Ali Farka Toure sideman Bassekou Kouyate banjo-fies five tracks on four-stringed ngoni. And if you're good, Neneh Cherry will treat you to a duet on an English-language closer that's worth the wait.

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Youssou N'Dour

Rokku Mi Rokka Hear it Now

2007

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On his new disc, veteran Senegalese

singer-songwriter Youssou N'Dour

continues to contemplate issues of

freedom and religious bliss over a

musical template blending African

and Western pop. Among Rokku Mi

Rokka's highlights is "4-44-44,"

which celebrates the joys of

everyday life, and such gifts of

nature as the Sun and the air we

breathe. The lyrics also pay tribute

to those who fought for the

independence of their lands. A

brass section enriches the African

percussive instruments, giving the

tune an extra-funky vibe. Fans of

N'Dour's 1994 hit with Neneh Cherry, "7 Seconds," will

appreciate "Wake Up, It's Africa Calling," a hip-hop-inspired

track that features Cherry in a duet. Listen also to "Pullo Àrdo,"

a beautiful ballad that speaks of a shepherd who shares his

years of wisdom "with all those who come his way."

On Rokku Mi Rokka, N'Dour shows that he has lost neither

charm nor youthful energy. The rhythmically rich music works

like a frame around his high-pitched voice, and the music is

able to captivate even the most jaded listener, world music fan

or otherwise.

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Youssou N'Dour Rokku Mi Rokka (Nonesuch) By Ernest Barteldes

Published: November 28, 2007

Details: Youssou N'Dour performs on Friday, Nov. 30, at Masonic Center as part of the San Francisco Jazz Festival. Admission is $25-75; visit www.sfjazz.org for more info.

Subject(s): Youssou

N’Dour by Ernest Barteldes

Page 1 of 4San Francisco - Music - Youssou N'Dour

2/6/2008http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-11-28/music/youssou-n-dour/

The New York Times Arts & Leisure

Sunday, November 4, 2007 MUSIC PLAYLIST Jon Pareles Youssou N’Dour Youssou N’Dour’s Album “Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take)” (Nonesuch) draws on music from northern Senegal. That’s a shift from his longtime African funk, called mbalax, and from the pristine North and West African merger of his previous album, “Egypt.” But the music’s origins are less important than where they lead. In most of the new songs – except for the earnest misfire “Wake Up (It’s Africa Calling),” a duet with Neneh Cherry – guitars entwine with African instruments in lean, string-driven, mostly unplugged songs. Bouncing along on three chords, they offer the jaunty Senegalese equivalent of a down-home hoedown.

The Washington Post November 16, 2007 Friday

YOUSSOU N'DOUR "Rokku Mi Rokka" Nonesuch

The greatest contemporary singer from Senegal and possibly all of Africa, Youssou N'Dour travels the world with and in his music. He has collaborated widely with the likes of Sting, Peter Gabriel and Neneh Cherry, who appeared on "7 Seconds," a 1994 European hit. Yet N'Dour's most interesting ventures mesh Senegalese styles not with Anglo-American pop, but with other African music. Cherry returns for N'Dour's new "Rokku Mi Rokka," rapping and singing on the disappointing "Wake Up (It's Africa Calling)." But that attempt at crossover is an anomaly on an album that draws mostly from a closer source.

N'Dour's marvelous previous set revealed its inspiration in its title, "Egypt." On "Rokku Mi Rokka," which translates as "give and take," the singer-songwriter supplements his usual crew with players from nearby Mali.

Aside from "4-4-44," a simplistic tune that adds a horn section, and "Wake Up," the album's sound is intricate, indigenous and characteristically exhilarating. This isn't folk music: The five numbers featuring Mali's Bassekou Kouyate on ngoni (a West African lute also called the xalam) are spare and more traditional, but such exuberant songs as "Pullo Ardo" and "Baay Faal" include synthesizers and strings. While both modes succeed, the most striking selections are such Kouyate-driven ones as "Dabbaax," which have an ease that's rare in N'Dour's work yet suit his supple high tenor.

-- Mark Jenkins

Appearing Monday in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall (202-467-4600, http://www.kennedy-center.org). Show starts at 8.