Rokku Mi Rokka
Youssou N'Dour
Engineer: Ruadhri Cushnan, Serge Devesre, Baye Leye,
Producer: Youssou N'Dour
Nonesuch Records (USA), 2007
1 CD
Catalogue #: 7559799745
EAN: 0075597997453
UPC: 075597997453
You save: 20%
Personnel: Youssou N'Dour (vocals); N'Deye Marie "Gawlo" N'Diaye (vocals); Pape Oumar Ngom, Mamadou Jimi Mbaye (guitar); Omar Sow, Guy Kaye (guitars, acoustic guitar); Mody Ba (guitars); Ibrahima Konate, Theirno Koite (trumpet); Wilfrid Zinsou (trombone); Prince Ibrahima N'Dour (keyboard, programming); Ibrahima Cisse (keyboard bass); Habib Faye (bass guitar); Abdoulaye Lo (drums, percussion); Alaine Berge, Alain Berge (drums); Babacar Faye, Thio M'Baye, Steve Shehan (percussion); Balla Sidibe, Ousmane Gangue, Penda Sarr, Assane Mboup, Rudolph Gomis (background vocals); Assane Thiam, Massire Drame, Bassekou Kouyate, Cirkus.
With a title that means "give and take" in Youssou N'Dour's native language, Senegalese, ROKKU MI ROKKA presents a vibrant set of traditionally rooted North African songs. The follow-up to the worldbeat superstar's Grammy-winning EGYPT, this 2007 album, issued on the respected Nonesuch label, is carried along by light, frenetic percussion and lilting melodies that allow N'Dour's emotive vocals to shine brightly, as on the shimmering opening track, "4-4-44," and the rolling "Tukki." For those unfamiliar with N'Dour's revered brand of Afropop, this organic, uplifting outing is a wonderful point of departure.
Tracklist
Youssou N'Dour
Since collaborating with Peter Gabriel in the 1980s, Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour has become familiar to audiences around the world. With his complex, topical music, N'Dour is the primary exponent of the mbalax sound, which combines traditional Wolof instruments and rhythmic patterns with Islamic and Cuban influences. The sleek production and pop appeal of his records have helped make N'Dour one of the most popular African artists of recent decades.
