Vusi Mahlasela THE VOICE (ATO Records)

Armed with only an acoustic guitar and a gorgeous tenor, Vusi Mahlasela has become one of South Africa’s most visible musicians. First heard in the States on fellow South African Dave Matthews’s single "Everyday," Mahlasela is now poised to become the next Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Bursting with bubbly Afropop and strident protest folk, The Voice is a handpicked collection of his finest material through the ’90s. Mahlasela is a passionate social activist whose lyrics reflect a balance between bristling defiance and a humanist world view; in "Red Song," he sings, "Need I remind everyone again that armed struggle is an act of love?"

But he’s not simply an activist with a guitar: he has a gift for pop melodies and knee-buckling rhythms. A modern anthem in his homeland (and a star in Lee Hirsch’s film documentary Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony), "When You Come Back" is the disc’s standout, with its soaring falsetto vocals and infectious chorus. This is a representative cross-section of his best material, its songs of grief and injustice buoyed by the joyfully syncopated pulse of his rhythm guitar and the sheer power of his voice.