Nakamura

With its pithy denunciation of a man that has been spreading lies about her, "Djadja"—the first single from Aya Nakamura's sophomore album—is as much a symbol of female empowerment as it is measure of Nakamura's chart-busting success. With its punchy Afrobeats and melodic R&B, <i>NAKAMURA</i> offers additional delights: the tropical "Copines" builds an unlikely rhythmic chorus around her shaming of lecherous men, "Ça fait mal" enlists dubby bass for her story of a break-up and the pacey "Dans ma bulle" flowers into an anthem of independence.