Rwanda, You Should be Loved

This recording – which was created on the farm of bandleader Adrien Kazigira and whittles 40 of his compositions down to just 12 – is meaningful in many ways. It firstly represents the singing traditions and agricultural dialects of the local area, with striking harmonic similarities to American bluegrass. Secondly, the trio (who were taught music by singer Janvier Havugimana's older brother, who perished in the 1994 Rwandan genocide) are from each of Rwanda's three largest tribes, the Tutsi, Hutu and Abatwa. The band name, The Good Ones, is a metaphor for finding the good in people after the passing of such unthinkable events as the Rwandan genocides.

As would be expected from a live recording in an area without electricity or studio provisions, the sound is sparse, earthy and stripped back. There are no overdubs here, and the album is all the better for it. Kazigira's lyrics, translated in the sleeve notes, are heartbreaking odes to his daughter (who suffers from a life-threatening tumour that has affected her sight), his country and his huge personal losses. Havugimana and Kazigira's haunting harmonies and gritty, melancholic guitar passages are utterly beautiful (especially in ‘The Farmer’), if at times overwhelmingly tragic.