Musically, lyrically, conceptually, in any number of ways Zara McFarlane's fourth studio album Songs of an Unknown Tongue is a remarkable, soul-stirring collection. It not only presents a fascinating exploration into the folk and spiritual traditions of her Jamaican heritage, but also – on songs such as ‘My Story’ and ‘Native Nomad’ – shines a powerful light on the legacy of colonialism, empire and slavery, and issues of race and identity. Joining forces with South London producers Kwake Bass and Wu-Lu from the Touching Bass collective, the surprising transparency of the multilayered instrumental backdrops enables you to appreciate anew McFarlane's beauty of tone and a timbral range that can evoke a myriad of moods and atmospheres.

From the declaration of intent expressed in ‘Black Treasure’ (“You tell me that I'm lost, How can that be when you crossed half the world to find me? I will not be a reflection of your reality”) to the hypnotic beats, polyphonic vocal web and profound sense of loss reflected in ‘Broken Water’, there's a real potency to the storytelling, while on ‘State Of Mind’ and ‘Roots Of Freedom’ McFarlane charts new vistas of vocal and lyrical expression.