Juana Molina

Ms. Molina's background is as singular as her music. She's from Buenos Aires, and made her name in Argentina as the host of Juana y Sus Hermanas (Juana and Her Sisters), a sketch-comedy television show. But instead of devoting her life to laughs, she chose to chuck her previous persona in order to focus on original music -- and the results are fascinating, not funny. Upon first listen, Son, the second Molina album to be released outside her native country, seems light and breezy thanks to her gently compelling vocals and bewitching melodies that linger rather than race toward predictable conclusions. However, subsequent spins reveal complexity that's capable of captivating even those listeners who won't be able to understand a word she sings. Typical is "La Verdad" ("The Truth"), a musical meander festooned with unusual accoutrements ranging from electronic filigree to bird calls, not to mention an arrangement that seems to flow forward and backward at exactly the same time. Like Molina, who joins Adem on this bill, her sonic creations are unique.