Though they share an ancestral connection to Africa, the respective birthplaces of piano virtuoso Omar Sosa<\/a> and kora Maestro Seckou Keita<\/a>, Cuba and Senegal, are separated by the Atlantic Ocean. When the pair met in 2012, Seckou admired Omar for his musical spirituality, whilst Omar saw in Seckou a rare ability to collaborate while retaining his musical identity. Their debut album, Transparent Water<\/em>, was released to acclaim in 2017. Recorded during lockdown, the pair\u2019s second album, SUBA, <\/em>is a hymn to hope, to a new dawn of compassion and real change in a post-pandemic world. Joining Omar and Seckou in the studio, and for live performances, is the inimitable Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For Omar, the album marks a heartfelt reiteration of humanity\u2019s oldest prayer: \u201cThe concept of the record is peace, hope and unity. In this moment we\u2019re living, when everything\u2019s falling apart little by little, the last thing we have inside ourselves is a sacred connection with our inner voice, with our spirit and light and with our ancestors. We try to give hope through music and tell people that we can be together<\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSuba\u201d means \u201csunrise\u201d in Mandinka, Seckou\u2019s native language, representing his favourite time of day and a moment of freshness and hope. \u201cEven if you\u2019re facing certain difficulties, you reset your brain back to normal. You see the sunrise as a new day, a new peace, a new something, good or bad \u2013 an exciting something. That was the feeling I had when I was writing with Omar<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Listen to “Kharit”, first single of the album, in our Songs of the Week playlist on Spotify<\/a> and Deezer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n