Track Listing

1. New Africa
2. Live Television
3. No More
4. Country Boy
5. Hope
6. Africa Remembers
7. Coupl's Choice
8. Yo Le Le (Fulani Groove)
9. Survie
10. Am Am
11. Marie Madeleine La Sainte Louisiennee
12. Useless Weapons
13. Same
14. Things Unspoken

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95153 in Music
• Released on: 1992-06-08
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

CD Description
Senegal native Youssou N'Dour is one of the most recognisedfigures on the world-music stage. EYES OPEN, the singer's first album for Spike Lee's 40 Acres & A Mule record label, garnered N'Dour a Grammy nomination, and further enhanced hisreputation. N'Dour's mellifluous tenor sounds superb here, and the musical melange of the record continues the artist'sfusion of native African rhythms and melodies with Caribbean, jazz, and pop styles. N'Dour's lyrics address everything from media ("Things Unspoken"), military ("Useless Weapons"), unwanted childbirth ("Couple's Choice"), and the difficulties of African identity ("Country Boy"). The musical paletteof EYES OPEN is quite broad, and while there is a lessened presence of traditional African elements (which are still prominent, but are blended artfully into the mix), those intrigued by N'Dour's attempt to create a new global pop will find much to appreciate here.

Customer Reviews

Stunning diversity
Eyes Open starts off with the sound of birdsong on the opener New Afrika, a moving tribute to Stephen Biko, Kwame Nkrumah and Cheikh Anta Diop. This is followed by the lighter tone of Live Television, in which N’Dour delivers his entertaining but offbeat observations in his endearingly peculiar English. That’s just one of five languages on this ambitious album: he also sings in French, Wolof (mostly), Serer and Fulani. Versatility is the name of the game, as he creates a comprehensive definition of African music integrating styles as diverse as rock, reggae, jazz, mbalax, soul, R&B, mbaqanga, merengue, makossa & rap. A mouthful and an earful! Lots of great tracks with catchy hooks make for a stunning diversity: on the moving ballad Hope his voice soars achingly to underpin the tender, positive lyrics, on the urgent, French-only Survie, he laments Africa’s grim economic situation, while the sombre Useless Weapons has a grand piano and stuttering vocals. Eyes Open is a grower, yielding new gems with every listen. It also surpasses his 1989 bestseller, The Lion, in its melodic, stylistic and lyrical scope.

Absolutely stunning
If you are looking for something robust, soulful and hugely upbeat, try this. The beautiful, haunting, "Africa Remembers" still gives me goose-bumps and I have owned the album for more than 10 years !