Long before he was serving as special advisor to the president of Senegal, Afropop icon Youssou N’Dour was helping craft the supple, rhythmic Senegalese pop style called mbalax. Absa Gueye collects early recordings from his band, Étoile de Dakar, which blended Latin grooves, talking drums, horn riffs and psych guitars into their own mellifluous sound. They hit the sweet spot on “Jalo”, a tropical lullaby guided by N’Dour’s powerful vocals, but they also cut loose on breezier ditties like the Spanish-language “Tu Veras”.