Sadaka (The Gift)

Born in Sierra Leone into a family of musicians, Seydu has led a storied life. He grew up listening to the songs of his mother in both Fula and Mande languages, and from an early age was a member of the Sierra Leonean National Dance Troupe, founded by his grandfather. With the troupe, he travelled to Nigeria where he lived for a time in Fela Kuti's commune and then fled civil war in his native country by boat to arrive as an illegal immigrant in the Canary Islands, before he was eventually given refugee status by Spain. He now spends his time between Madrid and Sierra Leone, where in 2005 he founded the Diamond Child School of Arts and Culture for underprivileged children.

His third album reflects his odyssey, featuring throbbing Afropop, Mande roots, West African reggae (‘Ashe’), palm wine music and Fulani flavours. The Congolese singer Lokua Kanza adds his sweet-voiced tones to ‘Smile’ and the brilliant Saharawi singer Mariem Hassan lends her throaty Maghreb roar to ‘Desert Rose’. The result is an album full of contrasting moods and styles but lent an impressive cohesion by Seydu's own lovely voice and humanitarian vision.