The World’s music features this week: Sanam Marvi, Liber Teran and Les Amazones d’Afrique

Each week on The World, we feature a unique selection of music. And every week, we put together the highlights for you here.

This week's:

It's rare for a woman to sing Qawwali songs 

Pakistan's Sanam Marvi is a Sufi Qawal, a devotional singer. Qawwalis are songs that often extend into half-hour musical meditations, and ultimately trance-like states for the people listening and dancing. Sanam Marvi says she holds a great responsibility as one of the few women to perform this type of music. She's on a US tour now; go here to see if she'll be at a city near you. 

oembed://https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DlxFaUIxezkc

Mexican rocker Liber Teran

Liber Teran is Mexican rock royalty. He was influenced by smart 1990s rock acts, bands like Jane's Addiction and the French group Mano Negra. He's been a mainstay on the Mexican rock scene for a couple of decades and has just released his "best of" collection. 

oembed://https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DfRPwo8PxX08

Female power from West Africa

Les Amazones d'Afrique is a recently formed collective of women singers from West Africa. There are some legends among the ten artists in the group — like Angelique Kidjo from Benin, and Kandia Kouyate from Mali. On the podcast you'll hear a track featuring the powerful young Nigerian vocalist Nneka.

Here's the official video to the tune "I Play The Kora." 

oembed://https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DFhhkQzXArxE

And here's a punk tune with a French twist

Nouvelle Vague is a Paris-based band that covers punk and new wave classics in surprising ways, adding strains of bossa nova, reggae, and French chanson. Here's their take on a Ramones hit, "I Wanna Be Sedated."

oembed://https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DmpfkSC8YoYA