Waa Dardaaran

Sahra Halgan is a powerful and entertaining singer for whom life has never been easy. For a start, she comes from Somaliland, the territory on the horn of Africa that is still not officially recognised by the international community although it has its own fag, government and currency. It broke away from Somalia after the violent upheavals that followed the death of the dictator Siad Barre in 1991 – which forced the young Halgan to fee to France as a refugee. She is the granddaughter of a singer and poet, but she still had to overcome family opposition to the idea of a woman becoming a musician. She succeeded, developing a cheerfully rousing style in which new and traditional songs are mixed in a high-energy fusion that should prove popular on the dance floor.

Backing is provided by a trio (guitar, keyboards and drums) who specialise in slinky, often hypnotic riffs that provide a sometimes minimalist but always effective setting for her gutsy, sometimes harsh-edged and quavering voice. She slows down occasionally – as on the final ‘Bayr’ – but even a religious praise song, ‘Alaah’, is treated as a no-nonsense celebration. I suspect that she could sound even more exciting playing live.