MELISSA BLOCK, host:
Finally this hour, we're going to hear about a singer who goes by the name Somi. She's been compared to famous jazz vocalists such as Cassandra Wilson and Sarah Vaughan. Somi's latest album is broader than just jazz. Critic Derek Rath has this review.
(Soundbite of music)
DEREK RATH: The great thing about coffee � or, in my case, a nice cup of tea � is the first sip, and just for a moment, the accompanying sense of well-being. It's a snugness, a familiarity imparted by ingredients from places of which you likely have no knowledge. And so it is with the new CD from the artist called Somi.
(Soundbite of music)
Ms. SOMI (Singer): (Singing) I'm headed home. My heart and heading home. The wind seems strong.
RATH: It's an apt metaphor, because although she has lived most of her life in Illinois and New York, Somi spent her early childhood with her Ugandan and Rwandan parents in Africa. It is this merger of cultures and experience that shapes her awareness and gives a distinct flavor to her music.
(Soundbite of music)
Ms. SOMI: (Singing) Ain't it (unintelligible) from home can relieve the pain?
RATH: Somi's style may well span territory mapped out by Sade, Sarah Vaughan and even perhaps Steely Dan, but there's much more to it than that. For one thing, Somi sings not only in English but three African languages. And there is, at the core of her music, a top-notch African rhythm section.
(Soundbite of music)
Ms. SOMI: (Singing foreign language).
RATH: In "Enganjyani," which according to Somi means the memory of whispered prayer and being haunted by a past lover, she is also joined by the legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. Most telling, though, these prodigious musical chops are employed in the service of some savvy songwriting.
(Soundbite of song, "Enganjyani")
RATH: Her lyrics are intimate and personal, turning on the everyday tribulations of life, things we can all relate to.
(Soundbite of song, "Wallflower Blues")
Ms. SOMI: (Singing) They say that silence is golden, but she knows it can be blue. (Unintelligible) and there's just no getting through to you.
RATH: This seeming vulnerability is her strength, and her singing exudes both with confidence. This is life closely observed, and the delight is in the details. And she's not afraid to drop the music out to practically nothing to focus on them.
(Soundbite of music)
Ms. SOMI: (Singing) We argued yesterday, and my morning sun seems low. Clouds of violins...
RATH: With this CD, Somi unites the familiar with the exotic and reveals the universalities that can be found in individual experience.
(Soundbite of music)
Ms. SOMI: (Singing) (Unintelligible).
RATH: These intimate ruminations need no larger-than-life sonic padding. They are a potent brew from the first sip to the last drop.
(Soundbite of music)
BLOCK: The album from Somi is called "If the Rains Come First." Our reviewer is Derek Rath.
(Soundbite of music)
MICHELE NORRIS, host:
You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.