The music of Cape Verde, an archipelago 300 miles west of Dakar, Senegal, first came to the attention of world music audiences through the singing of Cesaria Evora. If the barefoot grandmother is the Bessie Smith of Cape Verde, then the beautiful Lura is its Billie Holiday, an artist who is bringing a more contemporary approach to the traditional music. Her new album, “M’Bem di Fora” (I Come from Far Away) on Times Square/4Q Records mixes her rural roots with a bit of R&B

The title track is an example of the accordion-driven music called funana, just one of the many entrancing dance rhythms of the islands. The words, which are translated in the liner notes, convey the struggles and joys of the islanders. "Bida Mariadu" is about limited opportunities for the residents, while “As Agua” depicts people waiting for the rain; without which the crops will die. “Romaria” is the flip side, the celebration is in hope that everything will turn out well. She sings of a voodoo dance in “Fitico di Funana” and if concertgoers are lucky maybe she will move to the funana rhythms while she croons the vocal.