|
|
 |
Lura has put the music of Cape Verde on the Map
|
| Click Here to go back. |
Arizone Daily Star, Lura has put the music of Cape Verde on the Map >>
In some ways it's a shame that fresh-faced vocalist Lura is constantly being compared to the "barefoot diva" herself, singer Cesaria Evora.
Though both have that Cape Verde heritage, the initial link that journalists tend to home in on, their styles couldn't be more different.
Evora's songs, coladeras and mornas, are thick with European influence. Lura, who comes through Solar Culture Sunday, leans more toward the African roots of Cape Verde, styles known as funana and batuque.
The never-ending association can be both a gift and a curse.
"I am uncomfortable with the comparison where they say I might be her successor," said Lura, speaking through an interpreter during a phone interview last week. "That I might steal away her image or become someone that replaces her. I admire Cesaria as a person and a professional. She has let me open shows for her and has been a mentor to me. I don't mind being compared to her if it is a positive comparison, one that is complementary not competitive."
Of course, the comparisons are still fairly new to the 30-year-old singer.
Fourteen years ago, there were no comparisons at all.
Lura started off her arts career as a dancer raised in the Cape Verde immigrant population of Lisbon, Portugal. In 1992, she managed to catch the eye of the African zouk musician Juka, who invited her to perform a dance and vocal duet with him at a show.
"I discovered that I could sing, and that turned the tide for me," Lura said. "I still dance, but more of my passion goes toward singing."
Three CDs later and Lura is just beginning to reach a global audience. She has toured with Evora and played the Lisbon Coliseum, Paris' Grand Rex and the popular World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) festival in the United Kingdom.
And last September she began her conquest of America, playing a 15-city tour around the United States and through Canada.
"My tour in America came as a big surprise," she said. "I had the impression that Americans were very fussy and picky about their music, and I didn't think they would be interested in my work. I was very surprised at the attention and curiosity that was given to us."
For her first trip to Southern Arizona, Lura is touring under her latest album, "Di Korpu Ku Alma" (Of Body and Soul), released on Escondida records in 2005.
The CD/DVD set covers the upbeat African-rich genres of batuque and the sexually charged funana, styles from the southern islands of Cape Verde from where Lura's father hailed.
"I was drawn to these styles because they were some of the least exposed," she said. "They were particular styles that needed more exposure and a way to show the world Cape Verde has more than just melancholy music. My intention is to eventually explore all styles of Cape Verdean music."
Along with a detailed DVD with photos, concert footage from her Grand Rex performance and music videos, "Di Korpu Ku Alma" brings with it a number of audio tracks to shake your moneymaker, too, songs like the Senegalese-percussion-driven "Vazulina" and Lura's quintessential hit, "Nha Vida."
"I am glad 'Nha Vida' was the song that really got me recognized," she said. "I wrote that song on my own. It was something that came straight from my heart."
"Di Korpu Ku Alma" has no doubt been the album to put the Cape Verdean musician on the map, but Lura will always be, first and foremost, a stage performer. The young singer said she looks forward to performing for the first time in Tucson.
"I enjoy every aspect of music," she said. "It is my passion. But I enjoy being on stage the most. I like the immediate feedback I get from the
audience."
-Gerald M. Gay 01/26/06 >> go there
|
| Click Here to go back. |
|
 |
|
|
|
