"Nu Monda"; Times Square Records

3 ½ stars (out of 4)

Tcheka's playful crooning and softly articulate strumming offer the world a different take on Cape Verdean music, which is most often associated with the feminine sounds of internationally known singers such as Cesaria Evora or Lura. Like theirs, Tcheka's singing combines cheer and mournfulness, but he sets his overall sound apart with his flair for instrumental and improvisational flourish. His guitar nimbly flutters and roils in rhythmic conjunction to the lively hand drums and the coltish bursts of his voice, whose melodies blend a sense of rural world-weariness with another sense of childlike exhilaration.

RIYL: Cesaria Evora, Lura, Teofilo Chantre

-- Gifford