Oremi
Benin-born Afropop star Angelique Kidjo will rock you, but her music is ultimately a wave of higher consciousness.Oremi("Friends"), her fifth album, makes the first stop of a projected trilogy in the U.S. and creates a coalition between the sounds and spirits of Africa and R&B.; The set jumps off with a soul to soul gesture--Kidjo's powerhouse take on "Voodoo Child," Jimi Hendrix's prescient nod to his origins.  Collaborations with Robbie Neville, Cassandra Wilson, Branford Marsalis, and Kelly Price range from stunning to intoxicating, as in Price and Kidjo's "Open Your Eyes" duet.  Kidjo scores as strongly solo and never stoops to preach. "Babalao" is this African sage's moving plea for the world's youth, while "Yaki" is her impish cackle at pretension taking a well-deserved pratfall. --Elena Oumano