Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Youssou N'Dour: I bring what I love
I'm still mystified by the fact that until I watched this film, as far as I can remember I had never before heard Senegalese super-star singer Youssou N'Dour, despite the fact that I've been listening to "world music" for many years. This documentary includes many clips of him singing at various concerts and recording sessions, and I predict that even if you've never been a fan of African or any other international music before, you won't be able to watch this film without at least smiling and possibly being compelled to get up and dance. I plan to now purchase one of his albums! He has been a well-known, popular singer in Senegal for over 30 years, and then in 2005 he released the controversial album "Egypt", which includes musicians from Egypt and is spiritual in nature, all the songs having themes from his Sufi-Muslim religion, of which he's a devout follower. As well as including clips from his early life and music, the film follows the controversy generated mainly by his fellow countrymen because of the feeling it was inappropriate to so popularize their religion in music. It also includes the album's wildly successful concert tour in Europe and North America, ending in his winning a Grammy for "Egypt". I loved this film and was completely taken in by the music and Youssou N'Dour's amazing voice and charismatic presence. I've read some critical reviews of it as being mainly for the purpose self-promotion, but that's not how it seemed to me.
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