JUNE 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM SPOTLIGHT Youri lanquette Youri YOUSSOU N’DOUR A Senegal-born international superstar finds a familiar spirit in

For SenegaleSe vocal legend better known as cat Stevens—and the Youssou n’dour, making a album closer is a heartfelt cover of ’s own was all about completing a circle. after all, “.” The latter, n’dour says, one of reggae’s most prominent strands “is really close to me because of the content of dna comes from the music of african and because of the power coming from this slaves brought over during the 1800s by simple song with guitar.” european-held slaves—a connection that n’dour says it wasn’t difficult to adjust was particularly important to the music of his exuberant singing style to conform to reggae’s greatest legend, . “I’m the easier-going reggae rhythms. “When JUNE 2011 trying to know the music of the people who you do mbalax music,” he says, “it’s really M MUSIC & MUSICIANS left africa as slaves,” n’dour says. complicated, so you are more involved. For Dakar-Kingston—recorded, as But when you do reggae music, there is MAGAZINE the title suggests, in his native dakar and a lot of space for my voice.” on the new Jamaica’s capital city—n’dour called upon album n’dour switches easily between producer Tyrone downie, former keyboardist vocalizing in French, english and his native for Marley’s backing band the Wailers. Using Wolof. naturally, that means that when he both african and Jamaican musicians, performs in places like the United States including veteran Jamaican guitarist earl and europe, many listeners are unable to “chinna” Smith, n’dour reimagines some of understand the lyrics. But that doesn’t his own classic tunes as reggae grooves. worry him. “People get the ambience of It is the two songs bookending the the music,” says n’dour, 51, who has album that perhaps best exemplify that collaborated in the past with such western connection between reggae and mbalax, the fans as Sting, Peter gabriel and neneh Senegalese dance music that n’dour helped cherry. “When I started out, people in the popularize in the 1970s as a member of the U.S. said they only listened to music from popular band Étoile de dakar. opening the U.S., but now more people are open to Dakar-Kingston is a new original simply listening to world music.” titled “Marley”—co-written by Yusuf Islam, –Jeff Tamarkin

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