Fatteliku: Live in Athens

In 1987, when it looked as though global sounds, African music in particular, would take a major share of the mainstream music market, the continent's strongest contender, Youssou N’Dour, went on a world tour supporting rock star Peter Gabriel. This highly atmospheric recording, made in an ancient amphitheatre on the slopes of the Acropolis, captures one night of the tour – and a pivotal moment in Youssou's career.

The mood is hot, raw and fervent, with the Greek crowd audibly engrossed in every note and sabar drum rattle. Youssou's band, Super Étoile de Dakar, are firing on every possible cylinder, pitching into well-worn favourites like ‘Immigrés’ and ‘Kocc Barma’ with a throwaway panache. By the time they hit the elastic groove of ‘Ndobine’, four numbers in, there's a sense of telepathic cohesiveness and energy. Youssou's gilded shriek has a shimmering expansiveness, and if a few notes waver, who cares when the feel is this good? The only quibble is that the horns consist of a single sax, and the brass parts sound feebly thin in places.

There's also a foretaste of Youssou's misjudged crossover albums on the lugubrious ‘Sama Dom’, which descends into a monotonous, singalong rock-out. The album's climax is Youssou guesting on Gabriel's ‘In Your Eyes’, which at one time would have been considered hideously patronising, even imperialist. It still probably is, but it's an intriguing period piece nonetheless.