Women have always been at the center of sub-Saharan music, as they were the keepers of the hearth, intimately involved in the life-sustaining mysteries of agriculture, food preparation, birth, and death.
As social change sweeps all over Africa female roles are evolving and the artists heard on this CD represent a confident, worldly sensibility. With the voices of Dorothy Masuka and her comfortable, gospel-flavored South African jazz, Maria de Barrios' sensual Cape Verdean morna, and a rhythmic swing from Paris-based Algerian refugee Souad Massi is worth the price. And the deep-toned, knowing, unpolished voice on a track by Khadja Nin of Burundi; transforms a Stevie Wonder tune into an ecstatic anthem of empowerment. 12 tracks.

$13.99