Music » African Music

Youssou N'Dour, a superstar at home in Senegal and in most of Africa, possesses an astonishingly strong and supple high-tenor voice, and he writes tuneful, insightful songs about his fellow West Africans' transition from isolated rural villages to cosmopolitan big cities. The Guide (Wommat) includes several calculated enticements to lure an Anglo-American audience: a bilingual duet with hip-hop star Neneh Cherry on "Seven Seconds," a guest appearance by saxophonist Branford Marsalis on "Without a Smile," and a bilingual version of Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom." The Marsalis and Dylan experiments work, while the Cherry one doesn't, but they're superfluous to the main focus of the album, which is N'Dour's shift from a bandleader to a singer-songwriter with a backing band. The infectious mbalax rhythms of Senegal are still there, but they're pushed down in the mix so the focus is on N'Dour's vocals. There are some missteps, like the simple-minded cheerleading of "Tourista" and "Love One Another," but for the most part N'Dour comes across as the Stevie Wonder of West Africa. --Geoffrey Himes

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Release Date: 1994-12-19, Audio CD, Music of the World

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On this album, the powerful roots of Oryema's African heritage have a more subtle influence on his music. One of the cornerstones of this recording is French guitarist Jean-Pierre Alarcen, who wrote the music for 'Hard Labour' and co-composed 'The River'.

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Release Date: 1995-01-01, Audio CD, Safehouse Records

The elegance and power of soukous godfather Tabu Ley's 20-piece Afrisa International Orchestra, as heard during this live 1989 performance recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World studio, begs comparisons with Duke Ellington and Count Basie's big bands. Tabu Ley has been one of the two giants of Afropop (along with the late Franco) since he began singing in the '50s, and his knack has lain in leading the pack while responding to prevailing musical trends. This hour-long set draws from '50s rumba-rock, classic late-'60s guitar-and-snare-driven soukous, melodic and undulating early-'80s kwassa-kwassa, and late-'80s rumba-disco. Tabu Ley orchestrates his guitar, vocal chorus, and horns with as much care as Basie brought to his brass. And while the format precludes the spectacle of Afrisa's lovely and talented dancers, guest singers Faya Tess and Beyou Ciel check in with their hits. --Richard Gehr