Malian singer Oumou Sangare, known as the "Songbird of Wassoulou," concluded a rare North American tour this weekend with a Friday night performance at Brooklyn's Prospect Park, as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn! series of free outdoor events, and Saturday's tour closer at the Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, Maine. The tour, which featured music from Sangare's latest World Circuit / Nonesuch Records release, Seya, also included stops in Montreal, upstate New York, Boston, and Manhattan.

"Regal, righteous and funky," exclaims New York Times music critic Jon Pareles, "the Malian singer and songwriter Oumou Sangare commanded the stage of Celebrate Brooklyn! on Friday night at the Prospect Park Bandshell." Through her music and lyrics, this longtime champion of women's rights took on "the traditional West African singer’s role as community conscience while delivering her messages with a modern kick."

In Sangare's Brooklyn concert, her "voice gained a steely, determined edge, dominating grooves that were built around her soaring exhortations," says Pareles.

Sangare has long commented on many aspects of life in Mali, in her recordings and live shows, especially the problems that women face on a daily basis because of polygamy, but also on the sensuality of young love, on the pain of exile, on the need to cultivate the land, and on the frailty of human life. On Friday, she continued this tradition, speaking in French between songs about the many challenges facing Africa, "but her music struck back," Pareles explains. "She was pointing a finger at problems, suggesting solutions and generating dance music to fortify everyone."

Read the complete concert review at nytimes.com.

Sangare's next scheduled performance is at the Festival du Bout du Monde in Crozon, France, this coming Sunday.

To pick up a copy of Seya in North America, or any of the albums in Oumou Sangare's Nonesuch catalog, head to the Nonesuch Store, where CD orders include high-quality, 320 kbps MP3s of the album at checkout.