After the surprise success of her first Network CD, A Flower in Bloom, Sevda, the sensual singing marvel from the Caspian Sea astounds us once again with her powerfully expressive repertoire. Her voice effortlessly fills the broad range between mugam and jazz. Husky, blues-like tones caress the piercing lamentations of traditional mugam, full of direct emotion and modern composure, all at a high, carefully-considered, virtuoso level in a rapid dance between bright sky and dark earth.

African music is rarely played for its own sake; an African musician plays with people, not for them. Music plays an integral role in the celebration of life's many rituals and accompanies everyday activities. Music is extremely important to the agricultural cycle with field cultivation, harvest and winnowing of millet performed to the rhythm of the drums. Mossi women sing complaints of their husbands as they grind millet grain. The younger boys whistle and croon softly as they wander the silent savannah with cattle and goats.