Her life story is an epic one. Since the mid-’50s when she joined the Manhattan Brothers jazz group, South Africa’s Miriam Makeba has helped shaped the world around her as much as she sang in it. By the late ’50s, Makeba played the lead role in the black jazz opera King Kong, which led to international recognition in the documentary Come Back Africa and more head-spinning tours around the globe. When she returned home in 1960, a year after winning a Grammy with Harry Belafonte, she was banned from her country, a victim of apartheid. The next three decades Makeba was a world citizen living outside her native land but remaining active in human rights issues. It was only a decade ago she was allowed to resume her South African residency and it’s been at least that long since her last album.

Just like her world citizenship and political activism, Homeland reflects a broad portrayal of world citizen music as issues and sentiments along with the contemporary and ancient styled arrangements coexist without one overshadowing the other. The opener, the rousing African “Masakhane” expresses hope in the post-apartheid era. “Liwawechi” is even rootsier—a lament sung in Lingala accompanied by stark and séance-like tribal drumming. Other songs recall her legacy like the breathtaking “Amaliya” where her silky sweet voice still reigns as a precious commodity. “’Cause We Live For Love” has a seductive beckon until it unfolds as a plea to love mankind instead. In between gentle interludes, Makeba shows she’s also in touch with current trends. She gives the title song an upbeat, hip-hop flex while savoring the aftertaste of being home again; “Pata Pata 2000” is a catchy, mod retooling of her ’67 international hit “Pata Pata.” With bright playing and lush arrangements permeating throughout, Homeland’s sensuously sedate feel allows Makeba’s splendor to seep in deeper.