Razor & Tie

Angelique Kidjo’s recordings have always been a melting pot of influences and, this time, the vocalist – born in Benin, West Africa and a Paris resident for two-plus decades – directly honors those who top her list. As on all of Kidjo’s albums, guests assist: Aretha Franklin’s “Baby, I Love You” gets the smooth but funky treatment with jazz singer Dianne Reeves echoing Kidjo’s lead; Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up” screams with John Legend co-piloting and Antibalas’ horns blowing; Santana’s “Samba Pa Ti” is even prettier than usual when Roy Hargrove’s trumpet meets Kidjo’s voice. Kidjo’s nods extend to Bollywood ( “Dil Main Chuppa Ke Pyar Ka” ), primal jazz (a sensual “Petite Fleur” ), James Brown, Otis Redding and Miriam Makeba, but she never ventures too far from home – always drawing connecting lines as she journeys along.