When I first wrapped my ears around Ethiopian-American songstress Wayna's new single, "I Don't Wanna Wait," her upcoming project The Expats shot straight up my "anticipated releases" list. Her unique, sweetly soulful vocals floated on top of the summery hip-hop beat perfectly and the cute video was the icing on the cake. In addition to the single, Wayna has just dropped a three-track sampler, which she is kindly offering up as a free download, giving a glimpse into her new "world soul" sound. "Yo Yo" kicks proceedings off with a cultural melting pot of sounds and influences built around rock guitars and afrobeat rhythms, with those gorgeous light-as-a-feather vocals gliding over the top. "Echo" sees Wayna trying her hand at a touch of reggae, which, if I'm completely honest, I'm not 100% sold on but the poignant "Time Will Come" saves the day. The song addresses racial and economic inequality and features an excerpt from Haile Selassie's famous 1963 address to the United Nations. Hit the bounce to take a listen to/download the sampler and mark your calendars for October 29th, the day The Expats gets released to the world
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