“Art is born from tension. And this tension is something that Seattle folk singer and songwriter Naomi Wachira feels every day as an African living in America.”

This is how the up-and-coming singer’s bio reads (from her official website), and amazingly, the tension transcends beautifully to her 4-track sampler, now available from Noisetrade.

Heavily influenced by acts such as Miriam Makeba and Tracy Chapman, Wachira fuses contemporary themes with African-inspired rhythms to carve out a catchy variety of folk that’s guaranteed to appeal to the genre’s avid listeners.

I’m Alive,” the opening track, treads along the lines of ‘Happy Together’ whilst giving an empowering spin of resiliency [after a failed relationship] to it. Seeing that its raw, unplugged approach works, she continues to expound on the said style with the succeeding “Sacred Love,” a love song, ironically.

The third entry, “Anywhere,” decidedly sees Naomi putting her foot down in the name of equality, whereas “I Am A Woman” closes the entire affair with a feminist note.

If the stars strategically align for her, we have a musician-advocate on the rise.

Track listing:
1. I’m Alive
2. Sacred Love
3. Anywhere
4. I Am A Woman

Related links:
Naomi Wachira’s official site
Naomi Wachira on Facebook
Naomi Wachira on Twitter