Youssou N'Dour - Eyes Open
Youssou N'Dour
Eyes Open
40 Acres and a Mule Musicworks/Sony/Columbia
1992
Producd by Youssou N'Dour
Co-produced by Jean-Phillipe Rykiel and Habib Faye
Performed by Youssou N'Dour and the Super Etoille (including Assane Thiam - Talking Drum, Papa Oumar Ngom - Guitar, Habib Faye - bass and keyboards, Ibrahima Cisse - keyboards, and many others)
Youssou N'Dour first came to prominence as the fellow who sang the non-English vocals in the classic In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel. His piercing, powerful vocal chords built to a crescendo and really made that song what it was. (particularly in the long live version that the video was filmed from) and that played on MTV for what seemed forever.)
His success in the US since has been mixed, since the "world music"* scene is such a fickle bastard. He made two albums in the early 90s for Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule Musicworks, Set and Eyes Open, of which the latter is the more western accessible, albeit not the more enjoyable of the two.
He, along with Salif Keita, and Cesaria Evora, stand as possibly the most successful and most deserving of the kind of universal appeal usually given to the likes of Jamaica's Marley or Brazil's Jobim. He is that rare talent; traditionally bred musically, but with an ability to evolve and create as a result, a universally appealling groove, even if you can't understand a word of Wolof (his native Senegalese dialect.) His particular brand of afro-pop is one he created almost fully formed, called Mbalax. It is melodic, funky, complex, radiant, and catchy as all hell. He's not only worked with Gabriel, but with other great musos like Ryuichi Sakamoto, Wyclef Jean, Neneh Cherry, and Paul Simon.
Songs here bear the mark of strong melodies and the hyperkinetic mid-range rhythmic attack customary to an N'Dour release is tempered somewhat to allow the more cosmopolitan compositions breathing room. But that doesn't mean he doesn't let loose. Country Boy bears the stop start fusion breaks and elastic bass of classic Weather Report. Live Television has a scuttling beat and sparse arrangement that gives it a kind of funky looseness that almost captures the same vibe as Set. Couple's Choice has a hint of Caribbean bounce to it, and Marie Madelaine LaSaint-Louisienne could have been a Peter Gabriel b-side. Useless Weapons is a simple elegaic piano ballad that works as a vehicle for Youssou's powerful voice, but does seem to sit outsdie the feel of the rest of the album, as does the rather trite souding Hope.
While this is a good album, it is not the best you could do. In only a few spots do you really get to hear Youssou open up vocally, which is when one can appreciate what a person with serious pipes can do without sounding contrived. Which is really the centerpoint to a Youssou release; his voice. A supple but non-trivially heavy instrument, he can wield it with amazing skill, and when he opens up, it borders on the surreal. It isn't used quite enough here. While the album is quiet consistent for the most part, it is also consistently subdued a little too much (which often happens with many African artists when they try to cater to pop audiences, although N'Dour is less guilty of this than most, this album falls into that category).
It's good but it isn't as warm as Joko (From Village to Town), his first really well done crossover work The Lion, and the absolutely brilliant Set. Seek those out first, or if you are really daring, seek out his home-market releases, where the super dense arrangements of his band come to the fore, some authentic, sweaty, hard hitting performances are recorded.
* that term itself I find implicitly stupid, but is so saturated into the lexicon that I have yet to be able to use a more intelligent term without confusing the general public.
Eyes Open
40 Acres and a Mule Musicworks/Sony/Columbia
1992
Producd by Youssou N'Dour
Co-produced by Jean-Phillipe Rykiel and Habib Faye
Performed by Youssou N'Dour and the Super Etoille (including Assane Thiam - Talking Drum, Papa Oumar Ngom - Guitar, Habib Faye - bass and keyboards, Ibrahima Cisse - keyboards, and many others)
Youssou N'Dour first came to prominence as the fellow who sang the non-English vocals in the classic In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel. His piercing, powerful vocal chords built to a crescendo and really made that song what it was. (particularly in the long live version that the video was filmed from) and that played on MTV for what seemed forever.)
His success in the US since has been mixed, since the "world music"* scene is such a fickle bastard. He made two albums in the early 90s for Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule Musicworks, Set and Eyes Open, of which the latter is the more western accessible, albeit not the more enjoyable of the two.
He, along with Salif Keita, and Cesaria Evora, stand as possibly the most successful and most deserving of the kind of universal appeal usually given to the likes of Jamaica's Marley or Brazil's Jobim. He is that rare talent; traditionally bred musically, but with an ability to evolve and create as a result, a universally appealling groove, even if you can't understand a word of Wolof (his native Senegalese dialect.) His particular brand of afro-pop is one he created almost fully formed, called Mbalax. It is melodic, funky, complex, radiant, and catchy as all hell. He's not only worked with Gabriel, but with other great musos like Ryuichi Sakamoto, Wyclef Jean, Neneh Cherry, and Paul Simon.
Songs here bear the mark of strong melodies and the hyperkinetic mid-range rhythmic attack customary to an N'Dour release is tempered somewhat to allow the more cosmopolitan compositions breathing room. But that doesn't mean he doesn't let loose. Country Boy bears the stop start fusion breaks and elastic bass of classic Weather Report. Live Television has a scuttling beat and sparse arrangement that gives it a kind of funky looseness that almost captures the same vibe as Set. Couple's Choice has a hint of Caribbean bounce to it, and Marie Madelaine LaSaint-Louisienne could have been a Peter Gabriel b-side. Useless Weapons is a simple elegaic piano ballad that works as a vehicle for Youssou's powerful voice, but does seem to sit outsdie the feel of the rest of the album, as does the rather trite souding Hope.
While this is a good album, it is not the best you could do. In only a few spots do you really get to hear Youssou open up vocally, which is when one can appreciate what a person with serious pipes can do without sounding contrived. Which is really the centerpoint to a Youssou release; his voice. A supple but non-trivially heavy instrument, he can wield it with amazing skill, and when he opens up, it borders on the surreal. It isn't used quite enough here. While the album is quiet consistent for the most part, it is also consistently subdued a little too much (which often happens with many African artists when they try to cater to pop audiences, although N'Dour is less guilty of this than most, this album falls into that category).
It's good but it isn't as warm as Joko (From Village to Town), his first really well done crossover work The Lion, and the absolutely brilliant Set. Seek those out first, or if you are really daring, seek out his home-market releases, where the super dense arrangements of his band come to the fore, some authentic, sweaty, hard hitting performances are recorded.
* that term itself I find implicitly stupid, but is so saturated into the lexicon that I have yet to be able to use a more intelligent term without confusing the general public.
posted by theloniusfunk at 11:48 PM
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