Young and photogenic with big, soulful eyes and a rich, dark voice, Lura has an almost indecent number of marketable bases covered. Born and raised in Lisbon, but with roots in the desolate archipelago of Cape Verde, Lura started out as a backing singer for these islands’ best-known artist – mournful diva Cesaria Evora – though her own sound is brighter, fresher and much more danceable.

While Evora’s nostalgic balladry is essentially Europena in character, Lura draws on earthier, more African traditions – the sexually explicit funana and the batuku, which is beaten out on bales of cloth accompanied by lewd, improvised lyrics. But don’t expect much grittiness from this debut. With touches of synth and sax sidling around the more traditional accordion and violin, it combines a soigné Paris-Africa gloss with a sultry Brazilian lilt. Not even the smoothest arrangement can mask the authority and throaty sensuality of Lura’s voice. The forays into Evora’s morna style reveal her as a more than worthy successor to her homeland’s melancholy matriarch.

-Mark Hudson