Rokia Traoré, whose new album, Né So (Home), was released on Nonesuch Records on Friday, discussed the album on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. She spoke with host Linda Wertheimer about the civil war in her home country of Mali and the impact music can have in shining a light on the world's ills and offering hope as well. She had returned to Mali in 2009 after living in Europe and rehearsed the songs for her new album in Bamako, then recorded them in Brussels and Bristol with musicians from West Africa along with producer John Parish and guest performers John Paul Jones and Devendra Banhart.

When asked about living in the war-torn country, Traoré explained: "That simply changes your life, and you're no longer naive in your way of seeing and thinking. Everything changes. And Mali is still what it is. You know, music there is so important, and culture is an important part of our life, of our social life. And in such a situation, I think that culture is even more important."

To that end, she went on to say: "I didn't want to see just the negative sides of things. There are many good things in my life, in Mali and also abroad, and there are still positive things in Mali for which I want to stay there, for which I want to continue living there and having my projects there.

You can hear their conversation below.

Rokia Traoré will perform live on the French TV program Le Grand Journal on the Canal+ channel this evening. She is currently touring Europe in support of the album and will head to the US in late March. For details and tickets, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

Critical acclaim continues to come in for the album, with Sunday's Observer giving it four stars and stating: "Traoré continues to cut a singular trajectory through modern music." To get the album, head to iTunes or the Nonesuch Store now.