Cesaria Evora

There has been plenty of talk about the next Cesaria and heirs apparent, but we thankfully still have this queen of world music around. She had a stroke in 2008 and, very recently, major heart surgery. In between, she recorded this lovely album that confirms she's still at the top of her game. That rich, resonant, expressive voice is in fine shape, and is sweetly complemented by diverse, yet always empathetic, instrumentation. The Cape Verde singer has previously worked with Cuban and Brazilian musicians, and here she collaborates with noted Egyptian arranger/conductor Fathy Salama. Members of the Cairo Orchestra are featured on three songs, which seamlessly blend Middle Eastern instrumentation and sounds with the Evora voice. The other material will be more familiar, musically, to fans. Given her brush with death, you might expect a sombre mood to prevail, but there's a lovely, breezy lilt to tunes like "Serpentina" and "Esperanca di Mar Azul." Six of these songs were written by Manuel de Novas. He died last year, but Nha Sentimento honours his talent superbly. Hail Cesaria.