Youssou N'dour

This 16-track compilation covers Senegalese singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Youssou N'Dour's Columbia Records period, from 1991 to 1996. Perhaps the most popular pop culture figure in Senegal's history, N'Dour created a music of his own from various sources, which he called "mbalax" and which incorporates everything from jazz, soul, hard R&B styles, hip-hop, and even Cuban samba, and juxtaposes them with the folk melodies and polyrhythms of his native land. The cuts here, particularly "Old Man," "New Africa," "Yo le Le, (Fulani Rhythm)," and the covers of Smokey Robinson's "Don't Look Back," and Lennon and McCartney's "Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da," reveal N'Dour's idiosyncratic, yet very accessible grasp and integration of Western and African pop styles.

Senegal’s greatest living artist is back with a major album that subtly alternates between tradition and modernity. ‘History’ strikes a balance between modern sounds and his african roots with variey and eclecticism. Included is a tribute to Habib Faye his late bassist, a great remix ‘Birima’ with Seinabo Sey and the duet ‘Hello’ with Mohombi amoungst many other treasures. A little prince of the Dakar medina since his early youth, Youssou Ndour is now growing and evolving within the wider matrix of Africa, influenced by the entire continent’s sounds, moods, and successes. Ndour’s Africa is a continent that’s alive, always in motion. It is therefore an open and informed album that the Senegalese artist offers us. Ndour has never hidden the importance he attaches to linking the past to the future.

Youssou N'Dour - History (2019) {Naïve NJ7026}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44.1kHz - Official Digital Download (qobuz.com) -> 277 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 97 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 2019 Youssou N'Dour / Naïve | NJ7026
Afro-Pop / African Traditions / Desert Blues / West African / Worldbeat

Senegal's greatest living artist is back with a major album that subtly alternates between tradition and modernity. A marvel of balance between modern sounds and his African roots, 'History' is an album with variety and eclecticism. Tracks include a tribute to his late bassist, Habib Faye, the beautifully written song ''Confession,'' a great remix of the song ''Birima'' with Seinabo Sey, ''Hello,'' a duet with Mohombi, along with many other treasures. Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine described him as, ''perhaps the most famous singer alive'' in Senegal and much of Africa. From April 2012 to September 2013, he was Senegal's Minister of Tourism.

16 Track Jazz compilation CD featuring artiste on Verve Records. Artists included David Sanborn, Ledisi, Trombone Shorty & more.