Now this Serbian blues musician has released her new album “Unconditional.”

It was recorded in New Orleans and Ana Popovic tells anchor Marco Werman that there are similarities between the crescent city and Belgrade.

Read the Transcript
This text below is a phonetic transcript of a radio story broadcast by PRI’s THE WORLD. It has been created on deadline by a contractor for PRI. The transcript is included here to facilitate internet searches for audio content. Please report any transcribing errors to theworld@pri.org. This transcript may not be in its final form, and it may be updated. Please be aware that the authoritative record of material distributed by PRI’s THE WORLD is the program audio.

MARCO WERMAN: All right now that I’ve gotten us into this Frank Zappa moment, how do I get out of it?  Hmm, I know, an accessible number one hit.

VANESSA DA MATA: [Singing]

WERMAN: This tune called “Boa sorte” or “good luck” was number one in Brazil last year and it was also huge in Europe.  It’s by the young Brazilian singer Vanessa da Mata.  She’s not unknown in the U.S.  “Boa sorte” appears on da Mata’s CD “Sim,” and it won a Latin Grammy last year for best contemporary Brazilian album.  All of this as you may have noted happened last year.  Well, just last month Sim got its official U.S. release, and hopes are that it’ll do well here too.  It could.  After all, Boa Sorte features U.S. neo-bluesman Ben Harper, who also co-wrote the song.

DA MATA AND HARPER: [Singing]

WERMAN: And for the U.S. release, Ben Harper and Vanessa da Mata have redone the tune in English.

DA MATA AND HARPER: [Singing]

WERMAN: All the pieces seem to be there for “Boa Sorte” to be a North American hit.  Vanessa da Mata’s tune features drum and bass from Jamaican legends Sly and Robbie and percussion from Bob Marley’s former drummer Sticky.  Vanessa da Mata even recorded part of the album in Jamaica.  But what’s number one in Europe and Brazil might not mean that much to American listeners. Try it on for size, though, and tell us what you think.  Our one stop online headquarters where you’ll find the useful “comment” tab is the world dot O-R-G.  Our theme music was composed by Eric Goldberg in the Nan and Bill Harris Studios at WGBH in Boston.  I’m Marco Werman.  Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.

DA MATA AND HARPER: [Singing]

Copyright ©2009 PRI’s THE WORLD. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to PRI’s THE WORLD. This transcript may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior written permission. For further information, please email The World’s Permissions Coordinator at theworld@pri.org.

Justin Adams: Tell No Lies

Justin Adams is a rock guitarist from Britain.

Juldeh Camara a singer and spiked fiddle player from Gambia. In Africa, Juldeh Camara is known as a griot — a musical storyteller.

Together Adams and Camara have released a new album called “Tell No Lies.”

And you can’t help but hear a bit of American blues on some of the tracks. Here’s one called — Kele Kele.

“And point out the people that are really doing good in the country and those who aren’t doing so good.”

The album is called “Tell No Lies.”

The musicians are Britain’s Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara from Gambia.