Released

There is a scene in Abderrahmane Sissako’s film “Bamako” in which the protagonist Mele begins singing, a cappella at first, as tears stream down her face. Her marriage is breaking down, the people she loves are struggling, but she has to get up on stage and work through the tears. Her voice is delicate yet filled with such intense emotion it’s hard not to be touched by it. Though there is a lot that’s remarkable about Christy Azuma, the real composer and singer of the song “Naam,” her voice is probably what will stay with you the most: soulful, delicate, powerful. Azuma was the first Fra Fra international star in the 1970s, and on her album “Din Ya Sugri” she combines Fra Fra music with elements of soul, highlife, afro-cuban rhythms (“Asullamani”) and funk (“Aja Wondo”). 

Megan Iacobini de Fazio

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