YOUSSOU N’DOUR
Joko (Nonesuch)
Has it really been 15 years since Youssou N’Dour added his definitive voice to Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes”? While that cameo and a subsequent opening slot on Gabriel’s world tour catapulted the singer onto the international stage, it was only a matter of time before N’Dour would shine as one of Mother Africa’s brightest lights. Joko is the Senegalese singer’s debut for the respected Nonesuch imprint, and his first U.S. release in six years. While his 1989 The Lion was one of the decade’s best, his following domestic albums have been hit-and-miss. Not so with Joko, which excels in blending West African percussion and vocal prowess with Western pop-rock sensibilities. “Yama” begins with arpeggioed acoustic guitar and N’Dour’s floating voice, joined by hypnotic, multi-hued drum beats and pulsing bass. Percolating talking drums and soprano sax define “Miss,” a tune that would go down equally well in a Dakar record shop or Paris nightclub. Gabriel returns the backing-vox favor on the cascading “This Dream,” and closer “Red Clay” features acoustic guitar, organ, and harmony vocals which all build, thanks to Manu Katché’s propelled drumming, to an organic crescendo that you don’t want to end. In contrast to N’Dour’s earlier energetic albums, Joko is more backbeat. The groove fuel is still there, but in an acoustic, gliding way, with vocals that prove N’Dour is still The Voice of Africa.
This article appears in Rick Perry.