A FARAWAY SOUND

Lura brings her blend of batuka from Cape Verde to West Long Branch

-By Ed Condran

There are several different types of music emanating from the islands of Cape Verde. Lura, a sensual singer from Portugal, belts out the batuku and funana styles from the island off Senegal. The latter is accordion-driven material once considered so provocative by the colonial island government that it was banned prior to 1975.

"It's very warm music," Lura explained while calling from Lisbon. "It makes you feel good all over. Cape Verde music is happy music."

Groups of women in Cape Verde beat a batuku style of rhythm on folded stacks of clothes, while a lead singer improvises poetry lampooning community happenings.  "The women of Cape Verde spent a lot of time talking, and that is how batuku started," Lura explained. "Now, I and others are making a kind of batuku, but what we're doing is singing alone, not in a group.

"I'm a little representation of batuku from Cape Verde."Lura's music is inspired by the styles of Santiago, considered the most African of the islands.  "It is something that's in my blood," she said. "Cape Verde music just comes out of me."  Lura released a new album March 27 titled "M'bem di Fora (I Come from Far Away") available from Times Square/4Q Records. On it, she draws on her family's rural roots while adding a contemporary R&B touch.  "I'm proud of my heritage," said Lura, whose parents were born on Cape Verde.

"The place my family came from is a recent discovery for me and I fell in love with the islands," she continued. "It is very important to have someone sing our thoughts."  I try to sing the little things of the daily routine, the beautiful things, the simple things."  Lura will be showcasing the sounds of her family's homeland tonight at Monmouth University's Pollak Theatre in West Long Branch.

"This is the fourth time that I'm coming to America to perform," Lura said. "I was a little afraid to come at first. Every musician is inspired by American music. So you want to come to America."  Audiences are the main reason Lura keeps coming back.  "What I remember from other trips to America is that the American (audiences) are very kind. They pay attention to my music, and that is wonderful," the singer said.