The Portuguese singer and songwriter Carminho is one of the leading singers in the style known as fado – the deeply soulful, melancholy music that is somewhat akin to Spanish flamenco or American blues. She has collaborated with the iconic Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso, performed for the late Pope Francis, recorded with Steve Albini, and made a special appearance in the film Poor Things, by Yorgos Lanthimos, where she sings from a balcony accompanying herself on the teardrop-shaped Portuguese guitar. Carminho has a new album called Eu Vou Morrer de Amor ou Resistir – I’ll die of love, or I’ll resist. Accompanied by classical guitar, Portuguese guitar, and acoustic bass guitar, she performs in-studio.

Set list: 1. Canção à ausente 2. Saber 3. Lá vai Lisboa

The Mexican singer Silvana Estrada made an immediate impression with her debut LP Marchita back in 2022. Quickly hailed as a unique voice in Latin music for her blend of jazz, chamber music, and traditional folk, Estrada took her time making her follow-up album, and it appears to have been time well-spent: Vendrán Suaves Lluvias, or “there will come soft rains,” is a heartfelt, elegant, quietly melodic album full of songs about love, lost love, and what it takes to just keep on keeping on. Silvana Estrada performs some of these latest songs in intimate arrangements on cuatro, accompanied by musician Joe Grass on guitar and pedal steel, in-studio.

Set list: 1. Dime 2. No Te Vayas Sin Saber 3. Good Luck, Good Night

The singer Meklit, born Meklit Hadero in Ethiopia, is based in the Bay Area, where she has released a number of albums that blend jazz, pop, and soul with the echoes of Ethiopian pop. Her latest album, A Piece of Infinity, finds Meklit singing mostly in Amharic, and looking back to what is sometimes called the Golden Age of Ethiopian music – the time in the early 70s when Latin music, American funk, and traditional Ethiopian scales and rhythms all came together. Meklit and her band perform some of these new songs, in-studio.

1. Ambassel 2. Tizita 3. Geefata