Youssou N'Dour: Egypt (Nonesuch)

THIS BEAUTIFUL record is a new album by Youssou N'Dour, but it is not 'the new Youssou N'Dour album'. We have had one of those almost every year since he first emerged outside Senegal with Immigrés in 1983, and they have each had their share of delights and disappointments. Occasionally, Youssou has released albums in Senegal titled Hors de série – 'out-of-sequence'. Egypt is in effect such a sidetrack.