Noura Mint Seymali

t’s not every day that we’re presented with agile and lush female-fronted psych-blues out of Northwest Africa, but we’re sure glad Noura Mint Seymali is doing the damn thing. Hailing from Mauritania, vocalist Seymali comes from a long line of gifted singers and storytellers and wields a Mauritanian harp called an ardin. Formed in 2004, Seymali’s four-piece — which includes Ousmane Touré on bass, drummer Matthew Tinari, and Seymali’s husband, Jeiche Ould Chighaly, on guitar — has become internationally revered for its emotive blend of traditional Mauritanian music and roof-lifting psych-rock with curious hints of Canadian prog-rockers, Rush. Anyway, Seymali and her bandmates are still backing 2016’s Arbina, the group’s fourth record and second international release, which landed at No. 1 on the European World Music Charts. Sung in Arabic, Seymali’s music does not isolate non-Arabic-speaking listeners — rather, she creates a universal and complex contemporary sonic conversation.