Rokia Traoré

Rokia Traoré's father was a diplomat and she spent her childhood traveling to a number of countries, including Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, and France, and was exposed to a variety of styles of music, from classical, jazz, and pop to Indian traditional composition. Traoré's voice is smooth and gentle, and her arrangements, while somewhat minimalist, make use of traditional instruments like the balafon, n'goni, and kora as well as acoustic guitar and electric bass. That sound is evident on her debut release, Mouneïssa, from 1998, but most evident on her 2000 release, Wanita, a deeply personal and individual record that reflects both innovation and tradition. ~ Stacia Proefrock