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CD Review
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Afropop.org, CD Review >>
By: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org
Lura
M'bem di ForaTimes
Square Records, 2006
The most exciting Cape Verdean singer to hit the scene since Cesaria Evora, Lura does not disappoint on her second international release. If anything, the blend of animated funana, batuku, mazurka and morna is more nuanced and polished than on her superb debut, Di Korpu Ku Alma (Times Square). Lura has a rich voice that goes down very easily, and perfectly conveys her smiling, seductive stage manner. Her delivery tends to the strong and sassy, though she can stretch to ethereal, as on the tone poem “Choro,” and to melancholy as on “No Bem Falá,” as close as we get on these 13 tracks to a morna—Evora’s mournful trademark form.
Most of this album was recorded in Mindelo, Cape Verde, with flawless production and arranging by Nando Andrade and Toy Vieria. The accompaniment is mostly acoustic and beautifully balanced to create rich sound textures of percussion, plucked and bowed strings, and often, tasty accordion work by Madagascar’s Regis Gizavo. There are other invités, such as flamenco guitarist Pedro Joia, and French harmonica player Vincent Bucher, who adorns the light samba tune “Pensá Drêt,” a number that Lura co-composed. Mostly, Lura continues the time honored Cape Verdean diva tradition of cherry picking the works of the archipelago’s great composers. Some of the older greats are named in the title track, which translates “I Come from the Country” a driving, electric funana that leaves you breathless. The composer here is Katchás. Tibau Tavares contributes two fine titles, including “Ponciana,” which recounts the story of a girl raised to marry an immigrant who can deliver her from the hard life of Cape Verde, but who falls in love with a local poor boy just the same. Here, Joia’s flamenco guitar mixes it up with João Pina Alves’s Cape Verdean picking for an especially satisfying mix.
Other standout tracks include “Romaria,” which evokes the atmosphere of a summer street party with shuffling, traditional snare drum, whistles and ambient voices, and a catchy celebratory refrain, and “As-Agua,” a soulful slow dance that contrasts liquid verse passages with a tuneful, rhythmic refrain. One of many songs dealing with the difficulty of life on the desert dry Cape Verdean archipelago, this one talks about waiting for rain to come. Closing out the set is a splendid, Lisbon remake of “Fitiço di Funana,” a favorite from Lura’s earlier CD, rendered here with even more punch and vigor, and fleet, classy guitar riffing to boot. In all, a spirited and pitch perfect offering from a fast rising Afropop star. 04/04/07 >> go there
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