Em Cantos de Òrìsà

A post-graduate in Afro-Brazilian history and culture from the Federal University of Bahia, Irma Ferreira is not only an academic but also a very fine singer. There are shades of the extraordinary Virginia Rodrigues, a fellow Bahian who was once described by Bill Clinton as his favourite singer in the world. But there are no commercial concessions here: this is an ascetic affair, with the music stripped down to its spiritual essentials.

The album does exactly what it describes on the cover. The nine numbers are songs dedicated to the various orisha spirits of the Afro-Brazilian Candomblé religion. They take the form of prayers or chants, sung solo (as in the opener, ‘Àdúrá ti Osum’), or accompanied by simple percussion (‘Oríkì ti Èsù’ and ‘Oríkì ti Osun’), acoustic guitar (the gorgeous, lullaby-like ‘Oríkì ti lyemanjá’ and ‘Oríkì ti Oyá’), bowed double bass (‘Oríkì ti Sàngo’), wind instruments (‘Olójó Oní’) or a choir (on the final two songs, ‘Oyè Ògún’ and ‘Poema Ofò’). The atmosphere is resolutely devotional, allowing one to concentrate on the timbre of the singer's marvellous voice.

Some will find this spine-tingling, others maybe too frugal. I suspect Bill Clinton would like it.