I opened my mailbox this morning to find another solid offering from the good people at Rock Paper Scissors: Nawal’s Aman.

You might have already heard Nawal here, on Benn loxo.

Long-time Benn loxo readers will know I have a thing for tiny African islands in the Indian Ocean and the amazing vocalists to be found there. Nawal is no exception. She’s a sufi Muslim female vocalist originally from the Comoros islands with a great voice and a mean gambusi, a yemeni instrument that’s sort of like an oud.

Comorians are quite a conservative bunch, so Nawal had to break with tradition to become the first Comorian woman to perform publicly on stage with an instrument. Women often play at weddings and other private ceremonies but rocking-out on a gambusi in plain site of the masses is definitely a no-no in most circles.

Lucky for us Nawal pursued a career in music in France where she’s lived since the age of 11. Her latest album, Aman, is really good. You can grab it at your local bac starting June 12th, or on Amazon right away.

ps- yes, that’s a little mbira in the mix. Nawal first heard the mbira in the States, but we know Stella does it best.

Nawal – Salama