The overworked term diva, from the Latin word for goddess, turns out to be remarkably apt for both the expatriate Ethiopian Ejigayehu “Gigi” Shibabaw and the Afro-Brazilian Virginia Rodrigues. Zion Roots from Shibabaw’s new ensemble, Abyssinia Infinite, trumpets its sacral ambitions with its title and cover art – but don’t let that scare you off. The loping percussion grooves, Ethiopian harp melodies and funky tenor sax riffs will sound familiar to fans of Gigi’s fellow Ethiopian-expatriate singer Aster Aweke and of Ethiopiques, the Buda label’s long-running (and highly recommended) compilation series. An album of original numbers and Amharic-language traditionals, Zion Roots was arranged and produced by Gigi with her husband, Bill Laswell, who (over)produced her international 2001 debut, Gigi, and a subsequent album of sludgy remixes. On Zion Roots, however, he adds remarkably subtle shadings. The vibe is as soulfully moral as classic reggae or country gospel, with Gigi’s voice soaring through it like a cool, clear conscience.

            Zion Roots serves as a good sonic preparation for the almost cloying richness of Virginia Rodrigues’s third album, Mares Profundos (“Deep Seas”), which arrives under the high artistic direction of her widely respected mentor, Caetano Veloso. On Mares Profundos, to live is to love is to suffer. Eight of the twelve tracks come from a renowned suite of so-called Afro-sambas written in the mid-‘60’s by Baden Powell and lyricist Vinicius de Moraes. The composers looked to the syncretic Afro-Brazilian cult religions candomble and umbanda for inspiration, combining bossa nova melodies, samba beats and European book learning with motifs and images from the black northeastern coastal region of Brazil. A church-bred singer from Salvador da Bahia, Brazil’s most African city, Rodrigues brings depth to arrangement that range from unadorned guitar to lush horn and string sections. Like Gigi, Rodrigues does what a diva is traditionally supposed to do: inspire worship, and assist us with bearing desire’s sweet suffering.