Seven Seconds - Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry

Advantages: Very moving, personal, vivid, intense
Disadvantages: can invoke all sorts of emotions - good or otherwise

Although quite old now, Seven Seconds is still a very powerful soul record, sung by the relatively unknown N'dour and of course Ms Cherry herself. But for me its N'dour that carries the music with the kind of aethetic desire & mystic Turkish charm which melds into the pace & delivery of the rhythm. Cherry adds a little feminine charm but done with a certain mature manache that envelopes N'dour's delivery: it's as if the two are lovers serenading ...
...the listener; and for me Seven Seconds will always remind me February 21st 1998. As someone once said, a particular song (love songs usually) will always have strong affections & emotions for one person in their hearts; and this song is no exception. The big problem with ballads such as this is that they either raise the heart when things are going well for someone; or conversely act as a reminder for past memories either good or bad. That's why ... Read review

Advantages: A danceable collection
Disadvantages: One really naff track

.... It then becomes a duet, with Anthony singing one line and J-Lo the other before speeding up and becoming a very salsa oriented song. If you haven’t heard the voice of Marc Anthony, his voice is very similar to that of Youssou N'Dour who sang with Neneh Cherry on Seven Seconds. Rating 7/10 FAVOURITE TRACK: I’m gonna be alright My overall impression of this album is great apart from the one weak track – Alive. J-Lo hasn’t got the strongest of voices, which is evident on a lot of her offerings, but this album, with all the different beats can cleverly disguise this fact throughout most of the songs. This is a great album to put on whilst doing housework to sing along to. It’s interesting to note that Jennifer’s songs are mainly about the man in her life at the time. When these songs were written... Read review

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