By Michael Lisi

Mariza knows fado.

She should The Mozambique-born, Lisbon-bred singer has been singing fado music since she was a little girl.

And Mariza is known for knowing fado.

The award-winning singer, up for a Latin Grammy Award, has seen her albums routinely go platinum upon release in Portugal and crack the top 10 in places like Finland and Iceland. She's played Carnegie Hall, London's Royal Festival Hall, Sydney's Opera House and to more than 20,000 adoring Lisbon fans last year.

So how does a lithe, thirty-something platinum blonde become a world music sensation singing fado, a haunting, traditional folk music style known for its mournful melodies and melancholy mix of longing, sadness, pain and joy?

Because she does it so well.

At the Mainstage at Proctors on Friday night, Mariza wowed a small but loyal crowd of about 800 with an elegant, confident performance, using her dynamic voice and mysterious appeal to keep all eyes on her throughout her 100minute concert.

Flanked by a trio of guitarists, Mariza sauntered onto the stage in a black gown and sang with passion, opening the show with a powerful rendition of "Loucura." She sang every song in Portuguese, the lovely strumming and finger-picked guitars -- including the beautiful 12-string Portuguese guitar -- providing a lush musical backdrop for her sung poetry.

Fans, many of them nicely dressed baby boomers with little idea what fado music was before the show, sat back and enjoyed Mariza's charming presentation, which helped make the music more accessible than it might have been otherwise. For the uninitiated, fado sounds like a cross between Irish, Italian, and Mexican traditional music, with rhythms that sounded almost African at times.

Fortunately, Mariza was quite talkative, chatting with fens in a pretty Portuguese accent, taking the time to explain the meanings of songs and the importance of fado music in her culture. And kudos to Proctors for printing not only her set list in the evening's program, but also the lyrics in English so fans could read and understand the meanings of each song while Mariza sang it in Portuguese.

Mariza has an irresistible voice that soars at times and suddenly becomes as quiet as a whisper. Her versions of "Meu Fado Meu" and "Transparente" were as gorgeous as they were sad, while the joyful "Recusa" and "Maria Lisboa" made you want to dance. Her voice filled Proctors during an encore she sang without a microphone.

She closed strong with a breathtaking version of "Primavera" that won her the first of three standing ovations.

If fado music ever becomes more than just a traditional music form, it will be because of Mariza and her marvelous voice. She was all that at Proctors on Friday night.

Concert review MARIZA

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Proctors Theatre, 432 State St.

Length: A 100-minute set with no intermission.

The crowd: A small but loyal crowd of about 800, made up mostly of nicely dressed baby boomers with little knowledge of fado music who nonetheless enjoyed Mariza and her world-class fado music on a muggy early fall evening.

Highlights: “Primavera,” “Meu Fado Meu.”