Star Feminine Band, hardest working women in Beninese show business, are releasing their third album on Born Bad, who went all out for their first.

Some get malaria at the sight of that sticky world music label: rest assured, the world is all they deserve after nine years of hard work.

These eight young women, from a village that even Beninese can't quite place, started out in hard mode.

They had to convince themselves that it was worth a shot, but also their family, their village and an entire continent.

Andre Balaguemon, composer, manager and lyricist, does a lot, while remaining in the background.

From local heroes to UNICEF ambassadors, the group has made it. The very existence of this new album is a testament to the perseverance of Grace, Anne, Urrice, Benie, Angelique, Sandrine, Julienne and Ashley.

The personnel of this family affair has changed a bit: two new women have joined the group, which conquered bigger stages (Glastonbury in the summer, the X-mas BBC special) now.

This new album brings simple joys: watching them grow from Benin's first girl band to a band in its own right.

And never forgetting why they took to the stage in the first place. Star Feminine Band makes straightforward music, taking no detours to express what's missing in the country.

It wanders through the vast territory of the countless West African styles. They even make a quick foray into reggae to talk about marriage (with a little rap thrown in), and interweave their voices in multiple languages (Waama, Ditamari, Bariba, Fon, Yoruba).

And boy do they have hits. To each is own, but "L'enfant c'est un don de Dieu " (Child is god's gift) is a mighty steamroller, methodically smoothing out the ground for dancing together to its final chorus, singing " debout-les-en-fants / get up, kids ! " along.

Smoother than the first two albums, supported by fine arrangements, ambitious keyboard parts and more complex vocal harmonies without losing any of their spontaneity, this third opus quietly adds to Benin's musical heritage.