Eleven years ago, Angelique Kidjo shook African pop music to its core with her groundbreaking international release, Logozo, a bold blend of roots, funk, urban suave, and sassy female zest. The album proved that a young African singer could adapt international idioms to create music that was contemporary, hip, and competitive with far more commercial, English-language dance pop, both in its originality and its state-of-the-art production. Some took Kidjo's crossover sound as a rejection of African roots, but nothing could be further from the truth. Singing in the languages of her native Benin, largely about the concerns of Africans, Kidjo presented a whole new realm of possibility for African singers.

In her most significant work since then, Kidjo continues her exploration of the African Diaspora with a musical sojourn in Brazil. Co-writing songs with Brazilian composers--maverick bandleader Carlinos Brown and neo-bossa guitarist Vinicius Cantuaria--and even covering the great tropicalista Gilberto Gil, Kidjo comes up with a powerhouse of an album. It opens with uncharacteristic understatement on the soft, soulful "Bahia." The song is a personal statement about the spiritual connection Kidjo feels to Brazil's northeastern province, legendary for its African culture, and it sets the tone for all that follows. The two songs Kidjo penned with Cantuaria are arguably the best on the album. "Olofoofo" is a gentle bossa-oriented number with a hauntingly beautiful melody, and "Ominira" is a far funkier bossa with a killer hook and mean nylon guitar picking from Cantuaria. Kidjo's masterful vocal communicates so much here: love, hope, and power, but also a certain vulnerability. It's a tour de force on every level.

Kidjo is well known for pulling out the stops with driving dance grooves and gutsy vocals. On "Tumba," which she co-wrote with Carlinos Brown, she does both in a modified Brazilian trio-electrico mode. Another cranker, "Afrika," finds a feisty Kidjo imploring her beloved continent to rise to its challenges. Kidjo's cover of Gilberto Gil's "Rafavela" does the composer proud, capturing his samba-soaked spirit, and honoring the Brazilian singer who has been perhaps the most tuned into the emerging pop music of Africa. But the softer work here is perhaps the most impressive, notably two ballads Kidjo wrote with Brown, the richly melodic "Okan Bale," and "Iemanja" a moody, modal tune with jazz depth and Kidjo singing in her low register projecting new maturity and confidence.

There are some noteworthy guest spots here. Malian kora virtuoso Mamadou Diabaté graces "Okan Bale," and Dave Matthews joins forces with Kidjo composing and singing "Iwoya," a pop gem. This is Kidjo's best work to date, a fine affirmation for an artist who has stayed the course, bucked the trends, and come out exactly where she belongs: on top.

Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org