Inti Watana: El Retorno del Sol

Veteran Bolivian singer Luzmila Carpio, one of the most prolific and well-respected of South American artists, returns here with a passionate concept album devoted to ‘conversations with Mother Earth and Father Sun.’ Carpio has long championed women's empowerment and Indigenous rights. Here she tackles humankind's most pressing threat with a childlike ingenuousness as charming as it is immersive, as fluttering charango strings and clattering hand-percussion weave off-kilter patterns, combining with deep, fuzzy bass to create a surprisingly modern-sounding groove.

Naïve elements, such as the tinkling music box on ‘Chakana Sagrada’, merge with thudding, driving rhythms and broad synth washes in a wholly unexpected fashion. This is daring, fairly experimental music which holds together well. The production hits a perfect sweet spot between polished gloss and earthy tones, never falling into new-age mulch. Throughout it all, Carpio's voice reigns supreme, a wavering, mesmerising presence around which all else coalesces. The compositions allow plenty of space for fascinating details to emerge, and the range of sounds is absorbing.

A perfectly balanced and endlessly intriguing set.