Avion Blackman Mohr is the bassist for Christafari, and the wife of band leader Mark Mohr. Her solo debut is calledOnyinye, Nigerian for "gift." It's a mellow, smooth-sounding album that makes me want to listen to it on some Caribbean beach where I could relax, away from computers and cell phones, with no sounds but the surf and Avion's effortless vocals. She plays bass and acoustic guitar on the project and is joined by other members of Christafari and studio musicians in creating this blend of folk and Caribbean sounds.

The CD is dedicated to Avion's sister April, who passed away at 20 years old. April penned four of the songs Avion recorded on Onyinye. Six of the songs were written by Avion and/or Mark, and two others are by Avion's brother Isaac. The remaining song, You'll Return, was written by Avion's father Garfield, better known as Lord Shorty, the calypso legend who developed soca music in the 70s and jamoo music (a gospel/reggae mix) in the 80s, and who died at a relatively young age in 2000.

Onyinye is an unabashedly Christian album, and although it doesn't fit the "worship genre," many of the songs are prayers and worshipful. The back of the CD case describes Avion's sound as "Sade meets Norah Jones with world music undertones." Who am I to argue? This is a smooth, relaxing CD with an eternal message.

Visit: Avion Blackman.