Souad Massi - Acoustic: The Best Of Souad Massi (2007)

The title doesn't quite tell the whole story, since this is actually a live performance by one of world music's emerging stars. The pensive, pop-influenced singer-songwriter - originally from Algeria, but now based in France - turned up the volume a while ago when she toured Britain on the African Soul Rebels tour. Yet it's in unplugged settings that she is at her most potent. With the accompaniment reduced to guitar, lute and percussion, she is free to commune with herself without distractions. Raoui has seldom sounded purer and more heartfelt.