Ko Sira

There's nothing humble about Oumou Sangaré's brassy, authoritative voice, or her outspoken lyrics taking a hard look at social traditions affecting women in her native Mali. The title track, roughly translated as "Marriage Today", is a gentle but no-nonsense demand for social equality between husband and wife. The music is mostly acoustic, with violin and harp taking precedence over electric guitar, and light percussion replacing drums. But the joyous, all-female call-and-response vocals of tracks like "Saa Magni" provide a powerful, modern message of sisterhood.