More than a decade has passed since Fratelli Mancuso released an album, leaving their fans—myself included—hungry for new music from the Sicilian duo. Their latest recording, Manzàma, released late in 2020, was well worth the wait: it is nothing less than a masterpiece, rich in melody and rhythm and thematically cohesive. It also packs a powerful emotional punch.

It’s not as if the brothers had been idle in the years since their previous album, Requiem (2009). The singer-songwriters have given concerts all over Europe, held seminars in various Italian schools, and composed music for plays and films. They have collaborated with the Sicilian actor and director Emma Dante, writing and performing the music for her 2003 production of Medea.