Fatoumata Diawara - Fatou

Fatoumata Diawara's 2011 debut pairs her own acoustic guitar with a voice rooted in Wassoulou singing, and it is the most modern singer-songwriter album here. She writes about migration, women's lives and, on Boloko, female genital cutting. Bissa and Sowa are good first tracks. Choose it if you want a strong voice with warm, unfussy guitar.