somi

When Somi was growing up, her mother told her that the rain, ever unpredictable, could be as much a blessing as a challenge. That notion has stayed with the charismatic singer and songwriter all her life and now provides a metaphorical focus for her third album, If The Rains Come First. (ObliqSound), a stunning collection of self-penned story-based songs, a meditation on opening ourselves up to life’s blessings and challenges much in the way that we accept the rain and all that it brings.



As The Boston Globe recently put it, Somi’s new album “glistens with the sheen of an almost impossibly perfect cosmopolitanism." Singing in English and three East African languages, Somi’s vocal delivery is subtle yet the power she exerts is enormous. Her artistic evolution is indisputable.



Born in Illinois to immigrants from Rwanda and Uganda, the African and Jazz legacies are always crucial to her sound. Often compared to the likes of Miriam Makeba, Sarah Vaughn, Cassandra Wilson, and Cesaria Evora, her new album also features the legendary trumpeter Hugh Masekela, a longtime Somi fan and mentor.



JazzTimes magazine describes her live performance as “the earthy gutsiness of Nina Simone blended with the vocal beauty of Dianne Reeves,” Billboard calls it “all elegance and awe…utterly captivating,” and Vogue simply calls her voice “superb.”



As her career has taken off, Somi’s talents have been called upon for collaborations and live performances alongside John Legend, Cassandra Wilson, Mos Def and Paul Simon. Most recently, internationally renowned Israeli artist Idan Raichel featured Somi on his latest platinum-selling album Within My Walls (Cumbancha), on the track “Maisha,” which Somi also co-wrote.



In addition to her own works, Somi also aims to bring other important cultural gems to light, and has founded a non-profit arts organization, New Africa Live, committed to producing multidisciplinary events that celebrate contemporary African artists.



As active as she is, Somi always takes the time necessary to finesse each song she crafts. If the Rains Come First reveals the careful attention she pays to getting the details right. “I never force a song out” she says. “Usually having quiet space for introspection and meditation inspires me deeply. I’ve also begun doing more co-writing with the musicians in my band for stronger harmonic arrangements and the opportunity to share the music with them in a more personal way. The songs on this album show where I am emotionally and spiritually today. At the end of the day, I still know who I am and where home is before, during, and after the rain—it’s in the music.”