Customer Reviews

7 Seconds: The Best Of Youssou N'Dour

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Basically I am a Western pop fan , having listened to mainly chart tunes and commercially released albums sung in English, by Australian, British, North American and European artists and amassed a very big collection of such recordings. I bought this album then as a departure from my usual field of knowledge and was richly rewarded with some very good music. I do not have the words to describe Youssou N'Dour's style accurately, as I know little about Senegalese music, yet anyone with ears can hear how terrific a singer he is. In 1994, I loved his magical duet 7 Seconds (performed with Neneh Cherry), and I rate it as one of the best songs of the 90's. That is the most familiar cut here, but most listeners will recognise the old Peter Tosh song Don't Look Back (done in a smooth soulful style), and of course the bouncy Beatles song Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, which Mr. N'Dour has some fun with. I liked the Fulani chant Yo Le Le best - this has a groovy beat . A bonus feature here for Western music fans unfamiliar with the Wolof language is a translation included for most song lyrics in the CD's booklet. This is a very welcome feature of this set, and adds to one's understanding and enjoyment of these songs. As a result of my enjoyment of this album, I intend to listen to more music in this style.

Having seen Youssou perform live - brilliantly - very recently, I was compelled to own a piece of his discography. This album is perfect for the new Youssou fan, and serves as a great introduction to the broad range of his work. From the pop-influenced work with Peter Gabriel to the divine soul of the memorable '7 Seconds' with Neneh Cherry, the album traverses the traditional Senegalese sound with Western influences. The most joyful and moving songs will have you jumping.'New Africa' pays homage to his home continent, and the live recordings of 'Set' and 'Oh Boy' bring the exuberance to the fore. The amusing bonus of 'Ob-La-Di' will leave you with a smile. An excellent album for those who like his poppier side, with less emphasis on his mbalax and Super Etoile de Dakar background.

I found out about Yousou N'Dour while doing a report on the country "senegal"(where he was born). I wrote about him for famous people and he sounded cool so i got his cd. I was BLOWN AWAY. Even though i cant understand the words, the beats are awsome and they will get you up dancing!!! THIS IS A MUST IN THE COLLECTION!

This man is a musical genious. Period. He is a Super-Star all around the world and sings in a few different languages including English, French, and many west-African languages too. He is a Master song-writer and has performed with many musicians/singers around the world including Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon and many more. This is a Great collection of his Very best work.

Since the songs for this album are taken from only three albums, it is very misleading to call it a "best of" album. There are three songs on the CD unavailable anywhere else, two are live versions, and three songs from the European version of Joko but they are not enough to make this CD worth having. Buy a different album.

If you enjoy this sort of florid, over-ripe, overproduced pop, then I suppose this is a very generous collection, what with the rarities and live tracks and all. It's not for me, though. I do not like it, Sam I Am. There are other Youssou N'Dour albums I'd recommend first.