Naomi Wachira, Lucas Brookbank Brown

Naomi Wachira’s childhood in Kenya comes through loud and clear in her mostly acoustic fusion-folk, which is as inspired by the radio-friendly pop of Tracy Chapman as the sounds of traditional African music. The singer-songwriter is currently based in Seattle, where her profile as a socially conscious, melodically minded tunesmith has been growing steadily, and it’s no wonder: Just listen to her signature song, the autobiographical, Swahili-inflected “African Girl,” and hear a poignant but nonetheless defiant rallying cry: “I am trying to defy everything they said of us,” Wachira sings, “we who have chocolate skin.”