Robert Christgau Words of the Day

duc·tile adj.
1. Easily drawn into wire or hammered thin: ductile metals.
2. Easily molded or shaped.
3. Capable of being readily persuaded or influenced; tractable.

ser·rate adj.
1. Having or forming a row of small sharp projections resembling the teeth of a saw: serrate teeth; a serrate talon.
2. Having a saw-toothed edge or margin notched with toothlike projections: serrate leaves. (dictionary.reference.com)

Youssou N'Dour: Lii! [1996, Jololi]
Global conquest hasn't come easy, so it's a good thing N'Dour was smart enough and a smart thing he was good enough to stay in Dakar. This isn't the rough rhythming of his youth--he's pop-wise now and always will be. You can hear Jean Philip Rykiel's gelatinous Clavier, Cheikh Lô's rival voice. But as N'Dour and Lô both know, there are no rival voices--not really, not with this much clarity, power, ductility, serration. And as N'Dour understands far better than any other Senegalese, tunes are a boon. Here they connect more unfailingly than on any of his U.S. releases, with rhythming to spare. Move over, Tony Toni Toné. He is the world. A- (www.robertchristgau.com)