Youssou N’Dour

Youssou N’Dour

Rokku Mi Rokka

(Nonesuch)

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★★★

Senegal’s Youssou N’Dour “needs to stop trying to cross over and let us come to him,” said Tim Nelson in BBC.com. One of the most celebrated musicians in all of Africa and perhaps one of the most famous singers in the world, N’Dour still seems stuck on conquering the Western pop charts. Rokku Mi Rokka, which translates as “give and take,” turns out to be a fitting title for N’Dour’s new album, considering that he draws on Western styles as much as African roots music. Supposedly an ode to his homeland, the album—heavy on production and driven by Anglo-American pop—fails to capture the color and vitality of northeast Senegal and its desert regions. It’s only the songs that bookend the collection that truly disappoint, said Mark Jenkins in The Washington Post. The opener, “4-4-44,” is oversimplified pop, and “Wake Up (It’s Africa Calling),” featuring Neneh Cherry, tries to recapture the magic of their collaboration “7 Seconds” but falls short with oddly deployed raps. The rest of Rokku Mi Rokka plays out as a nearly perfect album, “intricate, indigenous, and characteristically exhilarating.” N’Dour is a “smart, stirring songwriter and remarkable vocalist,” said Jim Fusilli in The Wall Street Journal. No matter how many cultures he crosses or styles he slides in and out of, N’Dour, with his “stunning, elastic, and powerful” voice, remains an international force.