A long way from the Afro-pop of “Seven Seconds”, Egypt contains eight tracks paying tribute to Sufi saints of west Africa. N’Dour’s soulful voice takes on the wailing sound of a muezzin calling the faithful to prayer, while the backing is provided by a Cairo string orchestra. This is closer to the devotional music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan than N’Dour’s mainstream collaborations, and his non-world music fans may prefer to sit this one out and wait for his next rock album.
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