Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The Golden Age of Youssou N'Dour

cd cover
Etoile de Dakar featuring Youssou N'Dour

Once Upon A Time In Senegal: The Birth Of Mbalax 1979-1981 (Stern's Music)
2 CDs

There are not many African artists whose names are as well-known as Youssou N’Dour’s. And it’s not just his ‘7 Seconds’ duet with Neneh Cherry, or his frequent collaborations with Peter Gabriel and others. No, you don’t reach his status just by who you hang out with, you get there by who you are and what you do. On one level these 2 CDs form a chapter in the story of who Youssou N’Dour is. But on another they show him simply as an equal member of a band … a band in the right place at the right time and doing the right things. That brief but vital moment in time is captured in these 23 tracks selected from the cassettes that Etoile de Dakar recorded between 1979 and 1981. Several have never been released outside of Senegal, and all have been sensitively re-mastered from the earliest available audio source. These are the best sounding recordings of this material available.

Listen to some audio samples

Buy the CD at cdRoots

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