Youssou N'Dour Egypt CD

While N'Dour's international releases have always combined Senegalese musical traditions with outside sources of inspiration, "Egypt" takes a fresh approach. On this album, the rhythms and melodies of Senegal drive arrangements featuring Egyptian and Arabian orchestral sounds.

Personnel: Youssou N'Dour (vocals); Youssou N'Dour; The Fathy Salama Orchestra (various instruments); Mamdouh el Gebaly (oud); Nidhat Adb El Sameeh, Yuri Kablotsky (violin); Bisheer Ewees (bass violin); Ramadan Mansoor (tabla); Mbaye Dieye Faye, Yaser Mal Allah, Mbaye Dieye Faye (percussion); Kabou Gueye, Kabou Gueye, Mama Gueye (background vocals); Babou Laye (kora); Beugue Fallou Ensemble (percussion, background vocals); Souka Guèye (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Philippe Brun.
Recording information: Hany Mihanna Studio, Cairo, Egypt; Mix Studio, Cairo, Egypt; Studio Zippi, Dakar, Egypt.
Author: Mamdou Dia.
Photographer: Veronique Rolland.
Unknown Contributor Role: Shibi.
Arranger: Fathy Salama.
Youssou N'Dour's Egypt is a radical change of pace for the Senegalese singer/songwriter. Throughout his career, N'Dour has adapted his indigenous musical heritage to the pop sounds of world music. On Egypt, N'Dour and his quartet have created rhythmic and melodic arrangements for material from the Arabic world. Joining N'Dour's quartet for this recording is the renowned Fathy Salama Orchestra, a 14-piece traditional music ensemble. The material is traditional Sufi music, and N'Dour has applied, via the score's director, Hassan Khaleel, Senegalese rhythms and folk melodies to exist in concert with the time-honored originals. The effect is nothing less than startling. N'Dour goes deep into the heart of Senegalese Sufism, tracing the lines where terrains, spiritual practices, and of course musical ideas meet, meld, and change. Unlike his previous recordings, the organic and sacred character of this music seems to stand outside of time and space; it wails and warbles, croons and groans. It is the music of joy and reverence and, as it bridges the various aspects of Islamic cultural traditions, one hopes it can create, via the sheer beauty of its sound and the translation of its lyrics, a portrait of a world that is far different from the one portrayed by Western media constructs. ~ Thom Jurek
International pop star Youssou N'Dour explores of the themes and sounds of Senegal's Sufi culture on this striking 2004 release. Markedly different than the artist's other albums, on which African elements combine with Caribbean influence and various American styles (including soul, jazz, and rock), EGYPT moves away from N'Dour's trademark pop and deep into the territory of traditional religious music. Though characterized by an undercurrent of West African rhythms and inflections, the sound here--as the title indicates--draws on North African and Middle Eastern Arab music, and features such regional instruments as the oud, the arghul (a double-reed bamboo flute), tablas, and various Arab Gulf percussion.
There is a distinct classical aura here (the personnel list includes an arranger, a conductor, and a score manager). The Fathy Salama Orchestra, which backs N'Dour throughout, features--in addition to Egyptian flutes and drums--first and bass violins, and the group's complex, elegant interplay gives these recordings a stately, stirring feel. N'Dour's voice, in contrast to its usual role as a high, soaring lead, blends subtly into the musical fabric here. A recording notable for its focus, passion, and beauty, EGYPT is possibly N'Dour's riskiest and most artistically rewarding album.

Entertainment Weekly (No. 809, p.73) - "The Senegalese star forgoes his bubbly Afro-pop for this set of sacred songs..." - Grade: A-
Q (p.121) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[With] a softly textured, melodic infusion of Oriental strings and mysticism, reminiscent of the spiritual concept albums of disenchanted '70s rockers."
Uncut (p.108) - 3 stars out of 5 - "N'Dour's soulful voice takes on the wailing sound of a muezzin calling the faithful to prayer..."
Down Beat (p.86) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[O]ne of his best recordings....His different groups working together on EGYPT create different fascinating contrasts..."
Dirty Linen (p.55) - "This is a masterwork from N'Dour, with his passionate and at times soothing vocals backed by semi-classical arrangements fused with African and Egyptian colorings."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.115) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[H]ugely rewarding..."