Bruce says: "Films about artists often fall short because the filmmaker does not know how to balance the personal life of the artist with the product he or she has created. The two univeSeveral years ago I was in a Times Square record store and I heard an intriguing voice in the World Music area. The voice was Youussou N’Dour and the album was 'Egypt.' When I bought it, never would I have guessed the controversy the album would cause or that it would inspire a documentary film.

"N’Dour has been on the music scene for about 20 years and he was dubbed 'the voice of Africa.' He gained a Western presence when he performed first with Peter Gabriel, then later with Bruce Springsteen. Coming from Senegal, N’Dour is Muslim. 94% of the Senegalese are Sufi Muslim as opposed to following the more populous branches, Sunni or Shi’ite, of which we are more used to hearing about in the wake of the US invasion of Iraq. Sufism is Islamic mysticism and varies considerably from other forms of Islam. Deeply religious and deeply influenced by the power of the music of the Islamic world’s most famous singer, Umm Kulthum, N’Dour longed to combine his faith and his music. His grandmother was a famous griot singer whose form of music is that of musical storytelling that documents the Senegalese culture much like that of the songlines in Aboriginal culture. N’Dour feels that everything can be communicated through music and, at the time, he felt he could talk to God through music.

"To achieve his goals, he gathered musicians from several countries together, primarily Egypt and Senegal and together they created the songs for 'Egypt.' Getting the album made was difficult enough but when 9/11 happened the release was delayed until 2004. When the album was released, the Islamic world did not embrace it in the slightest. TV Stations banned ads for the album and merchants became afraid to sell it. The overriding perception was that music is not a part of Muslim life. Then in 2005 'Egypt' won a Grammy. N’Dour was suddenly a national hero, treated with the respect of an Olympic athlete. Subsequently a new song was added to 'Egypt' and it was successfully re-released in Africa. It became a best seller the second time around.

"YOUSSOU N’DOUR: I BRING WHAT I LOVE took four and a half years to make. Filmmaker Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and crew followed her subject from concert to concert and finally scored a coup when they were allowed to shoot N’Dour performing at the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Touba. The filmmaking crew wore traditional garb to blend in with the crowds numbering over a million. N’Dour has an engaging personality which lights up the screen. Most of the screen time is devoted to his interviews and performances. As message driven as his songs may be, they still bring the crowds to their feet to dance. 4.5 cats

"YOUSSOU N’DOUR: I BRING WHAT I LOVE screened at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.)"

Jason says: "Youssou Ndour is the biggest pop star in Africa; he is also a devout Sufi Muslim.  Which, apparently, is fine as long as those two qualities don't intermingle as they did on his album Egypt, a disc full of devotional songs that was tremendously well-received internationally but led to criticism in his native Senegal.  I Bring What I Love follows him as he tours Europe to packed audiences but fights censorship and derision at home.

"We start out with a little background on Ndour, learning how music was in his blood - his grandmother was a griot, a revered musical storyteller.  Youssou's mother married outside that caste, and Youssou spent much of his childhood living with his grandmother in order to learn from her.  Egypt came about in response to an interview where he was asked about not singing during Ramadan; though he felt all music was a celebration of God's greatness, he was inspired to record an album that was explicitly spiritual.  The release of Egypt was delayed after the September 11th terrorist attacks, but when it finally came out, it did so to nearly universal acclaim - the exception being in Ndour's native Senegal.

"I suspect that I BRING WHAT I LOVE may not bring a great deal of new information to Ndour's fans, although it does offer up enough interesting nuggets to interest the rest of us.  Director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi does a nice job of dividing the film's time between biographical material, examination of the controversy around Egypt, and filling us in on Sufi/Senegalese culture and history.  There's plenty of performance material from the world tour, serving as good punctuation between sections without feeling too obviously linked thematically.

"Youssou Ndour comes across as pretty cool for an international celebrity; he advocates for good causes, seems to respect his critics even when saying their worries are unfounded, and shrugs off unfortunate turns of events - like having to cancel a show because the Egyptian musicians touring with him won't play in a venue where alcohol is being served - without losing his temper.  It makes him a great tour guide as the camera follows him across three continents, from a Congressional hearing in Washington to concert halls across Europe and the massive mosque at Touba.

"The section of the movie in Touba is perhaps the movie's best, as we learn some about what distinguishes the Sufi beliefs from other Islamic sects.  It's where we see everything pull together the best, as the masses of people there are clearly feeling something different than the enthusiastic crowds at the European concerts.  It's exceptionally photographed, both in terms of giving us high-quality images of something beautiful and showing us how it fits into Senegalese culture; Vasarhelyi and her photographers are able to give us shots that simultaneously convey the building's great size and how many people on pilgrimages are waiting to enter.  We even sort of understand the thoughts of those objecting to Ndour bringing religion into his music, as they worry about half-naked girls cavorting around this place when he plans to shoot a music video there.

"Even though Ndour isn't planning anything like that, it does highlight the film's main shortcoming:  Some of what we're being told could use a little more context.  We get only the briefest glimpse of Ndour's non-Egypt music as the film begins, and when the cleric makes that comment, I found myself wondering if that was a reasonable fear on their part.  Just how great a departure was this album?  The end, where the album is embraced in Senegal after it wins a Grammy Award, also opens up an intriguing can of worms that I wanted to know more about - why does an American award seem to sway public opinion in this situation?  I'm not looking for opposition viewpoints, just a bit more detail on the cultural environment in which Youssou Ndour was operating.

"Even without them, YOUSSOU NDOUR: I BRING WHAT I LOVE is a very enjoyable music doc.  After all, I really can't be too disappointed if, at the end of two hours, I've heard some good music and learned something new. 4 cats

"Seen 18 March 2009 at the Austin Paramount (SXSW 24 Beats per Second)"