Susana Baca
Espiritu Vivo (Luaka Bop)
This Peruvian singer’s third U.S. effort brings with it a somber, reflective tone, a product no doubt of being recorded in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. It brings with it too a kind of urgency. The rhythms still swing and jaunt and urge physical release, but it’s the lyrics — in Spanish, Portuguese and French — that make the case for love in all its varieties. Baca’s smoky, ethereal voice has an ageless dignity, a rare authority. And the band — her usual Peruvian ensemble augmented by keyboardist John Medeski and guitarist Marc Ribot — is much more cohesive than in its last collaboration. This is music for the heart and mind, with languid beats, quiet poetry and meaningful melodies. Baca’s version of Bjork’s eerie “The Anchor Song” is a revelation. If there’s a complaint at all, it’s that Baca has chosen to redo “Se Me Van Los Pies,” from her first American disc. What’s it doing here? Baca has too many tracks yet to sing for posterity to repeat a song, no matter how beautiful.