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Track Listings
| 1. Marley - Youssou N'Dour, Mutabaruka |
| 2. Medina |
| 3. Joker - Youssou N'Dour, Patrice |
| 4. Bololene |
| 5. Bamba |
| 6. Black Woman |
| 7. Survie |
| 8. Africa Dream Again - Youssou N'Dour, Ayo |
| 9. Diarr Diarr |
| 10. Don't Walk Away - Youssou N'Dour, Morgan Heritage |
| 11. Bagn Len |
| 12. Leteuma |
| 13. Pitch Me |
Product Description
Review
Youssou N'Dour is revisiting songs from his own back catalogue, picking representatives from five older discs. The original material here is in the minority. He's been recording in Marley's old Tuff Gong studio in Kingston, with Wailer keyboardist Tyrone Downie at the production helm. There were also sessions in Dakar and Paris, so this is a typically international project.
Downie has had a significant input in the new reggae-fied arrangements of the songs, and has gathered together a creamy crop of veteran players. Where else would it be possible to hear the guitar combination of Oumar Sow, from N'Dour's regular combo, and Earl 'Chinna' Smith, from almost every 1970s reggae album conceivable? Also on hand are saxophonist Dean Fraser and percussionists Bongo Herman and Sticky Thompson, though the disc's booklet manages to misspell most of their names.
Marley features N'Dour very directly addressing Bob's legacy, assisted by the raspingly intoned verses of Jamaican poet Mutabaruka. This one song succinctly details the mission at hand. It's a gentle reggae lope, highly poppy with its little synth worms and harmonious backing vocals.
N'Dour often sounds ungainly when singing in English, but his accent does possess a certain charm. Before too long, he's back into Wolof lines, doing an electro-dancehall strut to "Medina". He's back to English for "Joker", joined by a guesting Patrice. "Bamba" is extremely catchy, making a brisk stride, with clipping keyboard punctuations, the horn section adding extra bounce. "Black Woman" is the epitome of N'Dour's simple and approachable stance here. His mixture of Senegalese mbalax and Jamaican reggae is finely balanced throughout the course of this entire disc, best showcased on "Diarr Diarr".
Morgan Heritage guests on "Don't Walk Away", the first of two tracks that feature some eerie harmonica trilling. Usually, this role would be tackled by a melodica, but these parts are surely taken by a mouth-harp. N'Dour saves his best soaring vocal delivery for the closing "Pitch Me", a tightly-woven skank that boasts a fulsome bassline, detailed percussion and a rich weave of voices.
--Martin LongleyFind more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
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Customer Reviews
About half of the songs are not new but they have been reworked and given a reggae twist: the catchy Medina (first recorded in 1985 but included on Set), Joker (which was on some versions of 2002's Nothing's in Vain..), Bololene (which was on Alsaama Day of 2007 but which is now released internationally for the first time), Bamba (from 1994's The Guide (Wommat)), Survie (which was on 1992's Eyes Open), Don't Walk Away (from 2000's Joko), Africa Dream Again (also on Nothing's in Vain..) and Pitch Me (from 1984's Immigres). Sometimes it's difficult to decide which version is the better one and you won't regret buying this CD!
I had the chance to see Youssou Ndour twice in concert last summer. He gave us 'a musical journey from Kingston to Dakar' where reggae blended into mbalax and where the excellent musicians made sure that everybody was dancing from beginning to end. Catch them if you can!
Enjoy the genius of the maestro. I hope there will be a follow up to this great album.
But this? Why, oh why, oh why?
Dreadful.
If you like the awful duets with Sting, Peter Gabriel or Neneh Cherry (well 7 seconds wasn't too bad) then go ahead, you'll love this.
It's the worst bits of the Joko album mixed with the low light of the Rokku Mi Rokka album - the terrible duet with Neneh 'my name is Neneh C I wanna go ta pee' Cherry, Wake up it's Africa calling.
Avoid, and wait for the next Senegalese album.....
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